Jar with Harpies

Public Domain

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Images(8)

CulturePersian

Titles

Jar with Harpies

DateEarly 13th century

MediumStonepaste; painted in blue and luster on opaque white glaze

Dimensions7 1/8 × 4 5/8 diameter (18.1 × 11.7 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Arts of the Islamic World Subcommittee at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, at "One Great Night in November, 2008"

Object number2008.513

Current Location

The Caroline Wiess Law Building

113 Islamic Art Gallery

Exposé

Explore Further

Department

Art of the Islamic Worlds

Object Type

CERAMICS

DescriptionHarpies, bird-like creatures with human heads, are commonly associated with guardian figures in Islamic iconography. The roundels here are highlighted in blue, a feature that appears on lusterware produced in Iran beginning in the early 13th century. The inscriptions include a standard benedictory couplet: “Protect, O Creator of the World, The owner of this (jar) wherever he may be.”
Provenance Research Ongoing

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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