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Collections

Storage jar12th century

Not on view
Large ancient ceramic amphora with two loop handles, heavily weathered surface with iridescent teal, cream, and tan glaze degradation
Title
Storage jar
Place Made
Syria
Date Made
12th century
Medium
Fritware, glazed turquoise
Dimensions
Height: 23 3/4 in. (60.33 cm) Diameter: 14 1/2 in. (36.83 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the Estate of Gustave Tassell
Accession Number
M.2015.60.2
Classification
Ceramics
Collecting Area
Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes
This pair of turquoise-glazed storage jars (also see M.2015.60.1) was likely manufactured in a Euphrates kiln, probably in the town of Raqqa, in northern Syria, which was an important center for ceramic production in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The ovoid shape of these vessels goes back to pre-Islamic times and continued into the medieval Islamic period. Such jars, made to be aesthetically pleasing despite their mundane utilitarian function, were used to store and transport a wide variety of substances both liquid and solid. These twin vessels are notable for their uncommonly large size.
Selected Bibliography
  • Houser, Dave G. "The Attic Spirit: Fashion Designer's Paean to Greece in Los Angeles." Architectural Digest 40, no. 9 (1983): 106-111.
  • Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.