Jar with Harpies

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
On view

Explore Further

Object Type
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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