Beautiful 12th C. Nishapur Pottery Pitcher w/ TL Test

Near East, Persia (Iran and Turkey), Kashan or Nishapur, Medieval Period, ca. 12th century CE. A stunning pottery jar with a brilliant turquoise blue glaze and areas of black pigments. The vessel rests on a ring foot that is unglazed, showing the reddish hue of the pottery underneath. The piriform body gracefully supports the broad neck and an outward flared rim. The thick drops from the glaze have pooled just above the lower body and foot. The rim and interior lip are painted with bold bands of black glaze formed from manganese. Size: 4.5" Diameter x 5.5" H (11.4 cm x 14 cm)

Nishapur was a center of politics and culture in medieval Persia, and their pottery is some of the most unique and beautiful we see from this time period. Turquoise pieces like this example are the result of technological innovation at the end of the 10th century. The body of this vessel was made of finely ground quartz mixed with clay; this created a white surface upon which the artists could pour colorful glaze and sometimes paint additional designs. The glaze is alkaline, with a copper base to give it its stunning color and would have been poured over the clay. Manganese creates the black accents visible along the rim. Scholars believe that such Nishapur pieces may have been inspired by the blue and white glazed pottery that travelled the Silk Road from Tang Dynasty China; however, the end result was clearly not just an imitation, but rather an entirely different, radical style that developed in Nishapur.

This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase.

Provenance: private Southern California, USA collection, in the USA since 1997

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#167300
Condition Report: Chip to rim. Minor chips to base and surface abrasions, otherwise intact. Single TL hole on base. Earthen and mineral deposits on the interior and exterior. Nice craquelure to glaze!