Medieval Central Asia, central Afghanistan, Jam in Ghur Province, Ghurid Dynasty, ca. 12th to 13th century CE. A wheel-thrown ceramic pitcher with five well-dressed, right-facing men walking with hands nearly touching as they carry lengthy swords around their waists. The brown-painted figures stride across an orange-brown ground that is enclosed between broad red stripes. Black pigment along the upper body creates stippling within a red band, a latticework pattern within the tapered neck, and outlines the top of the ovoid spout. The bulbous body rests upon a squat, circular foot and is poured via the strap handle on the verso. Size: 6.9" W x 10.25" H (17.5 cm x 26 cm)
Despite scholars knowing little about the Ghurid Dynasty and its artistic stylings, they do know it had a rich heritage and a unique presentation. The area today known as Jam was once called Firuzkuh, the summer capital of the Ghurid sultanate that was destroyed by the Mongols around 1222 to 1223 CE and rediscovered by international researchers in 1957 because of its huge minaret. A wide profusion of different style vessels seem to have been made in medieval Jam during the short Ghurid Dynasty, which enjoyed brief success in the 12th century before collapsing after the death of its most charismatic rulers; indeed, when the Mongols destroyed it, it seems to have already been a city in decline. The pottery made there is all the more remarkable for the brief window in which it was made.
Provenance: private California, USA collection, by descent, moved from Germany in 1997, originally collected in the 1970s in Hamburg, Germany
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#155945
Condition
Minor abrasions to foot, body, spout, and handle, with areas of touch-up painting to handle, and light staining to original colors, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits, great remains of original pigment, and nice remaining iconography throughout.