Explore artefacts made over a period of more than 1000 years in the heart of the Islamic world.
Dated to the early 1200s, this small jar is one of the earliest known ceramic examples of an albarello, or storage jar. In the medieval and early modern periods this form became popular beyond the Muslim world, particularly in Spain and Italy. Albarelli were primarily used to store herbs and other substances used for medical purposes.
Allan, James W., Islamic Ceramics, Ashmolean-Christie's Handbooks (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 1991), p. 44, illus. p. 44
Fehérvári, Géza, Islamic Pottery: A Comprehensive Study Based on the Barlow Collection (London: Faber and Faber, 1973), no. 141 on p. 110, pl. 59 a
Allan, James W., Medieval Middle Eastern Pottery (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 1971), p. 29, illus. p. 29 pl. 24
Vickers, Michael, Oliver Impey, and James Allan, From Silver to Ceramic: The Potter's Debt to Metalwork in the Graeco-Roman, Oriental and Islamic Worlds (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 1986), pl. 75
fritware, glaze
Ceramic material composed of ground quartz and small quantities of clay and finely ground frit (frit is obtained by pouring molten glass into water).
Vitreous coating applied to the surface of a ceramic to make it impermeable or for decorative effect.
Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.
Objects may have since been removed or replaced from a gallery. Click into an individual object record to confirm whether or not an object is currently on display. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis, so contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular Eastern Art object.
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