Water Jar (habb)8th-10th century

On view:

Geffen Galleries, Earth and Water

Large unglazed ceramic amphora with two loop handles, densely decorated with applied relief scrollwork, a standing robed figure, and a spread-winged bird amid coiling vines

Ceramic two-handled vessel with cream-colored molded relief decoration; upper register features floral and foliate panels separated by rope-twist borders, lower bulbous body decorated with scrolling vines, beaded bands, and a central medallion containing an animal figure.

Large ceramic storage jar with pale grey-green surface and two loop handles, densely covered in applied and incised decoration including floral rosettes, scrolling vines, rope-twist bands, and dotted borders arranged in horizontal registers.

Large ceramic amphora with molded relief decoration, featuring two animal-headed figures flanking a floral panel on the neck, and an oval medallion with a bird amid scrolling vines on the globular body, encircled by bands of beaded and scale patterns in pale buff clay.

Ceramic vessel with globular body and short neck, pale gray-buff clay, with two small loop handles; densely molded and incised decoration including scrolling vines, rosettes, geometric bands, and a central oval medallion enclosing a bird amid foliage.

Ceramic jar with globular body and narrow neck, featuring two small loop handles at the shoulder; covered overall in applied and incised relief decoration of scrolling vines, rosettes, and stylized foliage arranged in horizontal registers, with a row of raised dots encircling the lower body; pale buff clay with weathered surface, photographed against a black background.

Title: Water Jar (habb)
Place Made: Iraq
Date Made: 8th-10th century
Medium: Earthenware, applied and incised decoration
Dimensions: 24 x 15 1/2 in. (60.96 x 39.37 cm)
Credit Line: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, gift of Joan Palevsky
Accession Number: M.73.5.710
Classification: Ceramics
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: The form of this water cistern, or habb, with a narrow mouth on a large round belly, dates back to the Late Antique period. Habbs leverage the natural porosity of unglazed fired clay to filter and cool the water stored within. Due to their rounded base, they cannot stand upright on their own, so they were either buried in the floor for cooling or placed on stands known as kilgas. The latter option elevated the jar so that water would seep into a projecting well in the stand, where the filtered drink could then be collected.

While not as colorful as glazed ceramics, habbs often feature incised and applied decoration, such as the quadrupeds and swirling vegetal ornament seen on this jar. One example in Baghdad even includes an inscription that states the vessel was born of fire to quench the thirst of mankind, a valuable statement about the habb’s intended use.

2024
Selected Bibliography: Pal, Pratapaditya, ed. Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection. Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973.
Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.
Egyptian, Roman, Western Asiatic & Islamic, Indian and Cambodian Antiquities: the Property of the Kevorkian Foundation. New York: Parke-Bernet Galleries, 1970.
Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.
Blair, Sheila, Jonathan Bloom, and Kent Severson. Waterscapes: Islamic Architecture & Art from Doris Duke's Shangri La. Newport, Rhode Island: Newport Restoration Foundation; Honolulu, Hawaii: In association with Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, 2016.
Komaroff, Linda, editor. Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; New York: DelMonico Books, 2023.

Water Jar (habb)8th-10th century

On view:

Geffen Galleries, Earth and Water

Title: Water Jar (habb)
Place Made: Iraq
Date Made: 8th-10th century
Medium: Earthenware, applied and incised decoration
Dimensions: 24 x 15 1/2 in. (60.96 x 39.37 cm)
Credit Line: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, gift of Joan Palevsky
Accession Number: M.73.5.710
Classification: Ceramics
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: The form of this water cistern, or habb, with a narrow mouth on a large round belly, dates back to the Late Antique period. Habbs leverage the natural porosity of unglazed fired clay to filter and cool the water stored within. Due to their rounded base, they cannot stand upright on their own, so they were either buried in the floor for cooling or placed on stands known as kilgas. The latter option elevated the jar so that water would seep into a projecting well in the stand, where the filtered drink could then be collected.

While not as colorful as glazed ceramics, habbs often feature incised and applied decoration, such as the quadrupeds and swirling vegetal ornament seen on this jar. One example in Baghdad even includes an inscription that states the vessel was born of fire to quench the thirst of mankind, a valuable statement about the habb’s intended use.

2024
Selected Bibliography: Pal, Pratapaditya, ed. Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection. Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973.
Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.
Egyptian, Roman, Western Asiatic & Islamic, Indian and Cambodian Antiquities: the Property of the Kevorkian Foundation. New York: Parke-Bernet Galleries, 1970.
Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.
Blair, Sheila, Jonathan Bloom, and Kent Severson. Waterscapes: Islamic Architecture & Art from Doris Duke's Shangri La. Newport, Rhode Island: Newport Restoration Foundation; Honolulu, Hawaii: In association with Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, 2016.
Komaroff, Linda, editor. Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; New York: DelMonico Books, 2023.