Ewer
Unknown Artist
13th century
Medium
Stonepaste; glazed, luster-painted and incised
Dimensions
H. 8 in. (20.3 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H.O. Havemeyer Collection, Gift of Horace Havemeyer, 1948
Accession Number
48.113.24
Art Historical Context
This exquisite 13th-century e, crafted by an unknown artist, exemplifies the pinnacle of Islamic ceramic artistry from the medieval Islamic world. Standing at just 8 inches (20.3 cm) tall, this vessel—likely used for pouring water or rosewater in ablutions or at table—blends everyday utility with opulent decoration. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic Department as part of the renowned H.O. Havemeyer Collection (gifted in 1948), it the cultural sophistication of regions like Syria or Iran during a golden age of craftsmanship, even amid the era's political upheavals. The ewers's...