Object Details
- Label
- Ancient cemeteries and settlements in the Luristan region of western Iran have yielded examples of a distinctive painted ceramic style dating to the Iron II-III period (ca. 1000-600 B.C.E.). Often called "Genre Luristan," this pottery is also known as "Baba Jan III Painted Ware" after Baba Jan Tepe, a large settlement where it was extensively excavated during the 1960s. Painted ornament in brown or red typically consists of a few recurring motifs, including hatched "kites," as in this example, arranged in a zone across the upper half of the vessel. The asymmetrical design of the handles typifies the often whimsical approach to ceramic decoration in ancient Iran. One handle is stirrup-shaped; the other takes the form of a small quadruped who appears to climb up the shoulder toward the rim.
- Other examples of "Genre Luristan" ceramics in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery are S1987.99 and S1998.313.
- Provenance
- ?-2005
- Mr. and Mrs. Osborne (1914-2004) and Gratia Hauge (d. 2000) [1]
- From 2005
- The National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, by gift of Osborne and Gratia Hauge, and Victor and Takako Hauge [2]
- Notes:
- [1] The Hauge family began collecting Asian paintings, sculpture, and ceramics in the late 1940s and would amass a large collection in the post-World War II years.
- [2] Ownership of collected objects sometimes changed between members of the Hauge families. See Deed of Gift, dated October 16, 2005, copy in object file. From 2005-2023 the work was part of the National Museum of Asian Art’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection and on March 21, 2023, the work was internally transferred to the National Museum of Asian Art Collection.
- Collection
- National Museum of Asian Art Collection
- Exhibition History
- Shaping Clay in Ancient Iran (September 8, 2018 to November 24, 2020)
- Asian Traditions in Clay: The Hauge Gifts (October 29, 2000 to April 22, 2001)
- Previous custodian or owner
- Mr. and Mrs. Osborne and Gratia Hauge
- Data Source
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
- Date
- ca. 1000-600 BCE
- Period
- Iron Age II - III
- Credit Line
- Gift of Osborne and Gratia Hauge
- Medium
- Earthenware with paint
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 30.4 x 31.2 x 31.2 cm (11 15/16 x 12 5/16 x 12 5/16 in)
- Style
- Probably Luristan ware
- Type
- Vessel
