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This jug is made of earthenware. It has been
coated with a white slip which is still visible. The
body was made of two
separate halves and fixed together in the middle.
It has a squat globular body and rests on a
slightly raised base. The short neck has a slight
opening at the top. The handle is attached to the
top of the mouth and to the upper half of the
body. The lower part of the body consists of
vertical spiral lines. The design on the upper part
is far more complex: there is a wide decorative
register, which consists of bird motifs in relief
against a simple ring-matted background. The
question arises as to whether the jug was made
by moulds or carved. Since the edges of the
designs are not very sharp, nor are the reliefs
very high, it is beyond doubt that it was made in
a separate mould with distinct lower and upper
parts. The shape and the decoration of this jug
indicate a Khurasan or Central Asian provenance.
This object was most likely a water jug or a
drinking vessel.
Unglazed wares represent by far the largest
output of the ceramic industry in Islamic times,
from the earliest period until the recent past.
The
continuity of the unglazed wares production is
impressive – simple technology for simple
function that lasted almost unchanged over
millennia. The practical water jug is perhaps the
longest lasting object, where the property of clay
in cooling and flavoring the water gives it an
edge over more modern materials or modern
methods of production. (LK)
- (LO.579)
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