Artifacts
The beautiful, technically sophisticated, and often-amusing ceramics of ancient Iran demonstrate a rich yet little known tradition comparable to pre-Columbian, Chinese and Greek achievements, establishing ancient Iranian pottery as one of the great ceramic traditions.
The jugs, jars, beakers and spouted and shaped vessels in the exhibition were used for holding, pouring and drinking liquids, especially wine. Wit and Wine explores how ancient Iranian potters made and decorated these vessels with high quality of craftsmanship and design, and often with a unique sense of humor. Many pieces are shaped like animals or are painted with animal motifs. Interpretations of wild and domesticated animals show elegant deer, powerful rams and amusing goats. Some pieces were created to serve specific functions, such as cosmetic containers, some vessels were made to look like metal, and others are purely sculptural forms.
Included in the exhibition are an extraordinary ceramic head and neck of a bull, a vessel in the form of a seated camel, a stag-head rhyton (drinking horn), a vessel with a deer's head spout, a vessel in the form of a stag, a spouted vessel in the shape of a bull, and a delightful vessel with two feet.
HEAD AND NECK OF BULL
52K
1000-600 BC.
Height - 12.875 inches.
GLOBULAR JAR
47k
1000-650 BC.
Height - 13.5 inches.
SPOUTED VESSEL WITH HANDLE AND PAINTED DECORATION
231K
800-600 BC.
Height - 8.5 inches.
SPOUTED VESSEL IN THE FORM OF A BULL
53K
1200-800 BC.
Height - 11.125 inches.
BEAKER WITH GOATS
66K
Ca. 3500 BC.
Height - 6.31 inches. <
Wild bezoar goats, which live in the highland regions of Iran, are probably the animals depicted here. The meaning of the "skidding" posture is unknown.
BOOT-SHAPED DRINKING CUP
35k
800-600 BC.
Height - 12.25 inches.
Drinking from this cup requires care. If tipped the wrong way, liquid remains briefly in the toe, and then splatters the drinker's face.
The boot-shaped vessel, probably from northwestern Iran, combines a slipped and burnished surface, painted patterns inside the rim and sculptural modeling of the foot to produce a striking drinking cup. Use of this cup requires care. If it is tipped the wrong way, liquid briefly remains in the toe and then splatters on the face of the unsuspecting drinker.
STAG-HEAD RHYTON
52K
1000-550 BC.
Height - 13.25 inches.
The owner of this vessel was probably a successful hunter and ruler.
This ceramic vessel, in a form common to northwestern Iran, has a red body and the surface has been burnished. The end of this horn shaped drinking rhyton is in the shape of a deer head with stylized antlers, ears and even sculpted eyes on either side. The large opening in the top has been molded to look like the cuff of a sleeve or boot. It is difficult to accurately identify the species of deer depicted by this drinking horn because the antlers are stylized. The most likely species is the roe deer whose range includes northern Iran. The deer has small, upright antlers and its summer coat is a rich foxy red. Kings and nobles hunted deer so this vessel suggests that its owner was a successful hunter and ruler.
SPOUTED STAG VESSEL
40K
1000-550 BC.
Height - 12 inches.
Both the large red deer and the smaller roe deer still inhabit northern Iran, the likely place of origin of this vessel. In many ancient cultures, deer represented virility and agility.
This vessel, found in Northern Iran, shows smoothly abstracted forms, pierced ears, small genitals and the cloven hoofs simply indicated on the bottom of the feet. The significance of the stag in ancient Iranian culture is unknown but analogy with other cultures shows that perhaps the animal represented virility and agility. Both the large red deer and the smaller roe deer still inhabit the region.
CAMEL VESSEL
50K
250 BC-AD 224.
Height - 8.25 inches.
Camels were vitally important on the trade routes which crossed Iran. The famed Silk Road made possible the flow of goods between China and Europe for hundreds of years.
This vessel reflects the importance of the camel in the Parthian Period. The origin and source of the single-humped Arabian camel is Iran. In the Zoroastrian faith, the camel was the symbol of power and strength. Camels carried food and provisions, as well as arms and war spoils, and traveled the countries in search of trade.
TWIN-SPOUTED VESSEL
54K
250-100 BC.
Height - 13.125 inches.
The handles are shaped like mountain goats. The twin spouts are at the bottom of the vessel, so the server had to use a finger of each hand to cover the spout and release it when pouring.
The early Parthian vessel, probably from northwestern Iran, features Greek amphoras with mountain goat handles and twin-spouts at the base. Two individuals could drink from the container at the same time, perhaps to formalize a marriage or seal an alliance. Even filling this vessel takes two people – one to hold it, a finger stopping each spout, another to pour in the liquid.
VESSEL WITH TWO HUMAN-LIKE FEET AND TWO HANDLES
1000-800 BC.
Height - 19 inches.
This orange colored “walking” vessel comes from northern Iran. It is a ceramic version of the soft, leather bags that were used to hold wine from ancient to modern times. Small openings at the point of each toe serves as spouts. Its surface is pitted and scarred. It was broken in many pieces and has been repaired.
OVOID JUG WITH TALL NECK
1200-900 BCE
This Iron Age piece shows the northeastern Iranian liking for tall, oval, closed shapes in their vessels. Typically found in this region, especially at Khurvin, are fine, gray ware vessels with elegantly mannered shapes, narrow necks, sharp edges, long, thin spouts and a single handle. The walls of this jug are very thin, thus, when empty, the vessel is surprisingly light for its size. The neck is most likely wheel made, but the deceptively simple body may have been made in segments, because the thin, wet clay walls could not have supported the weight of the neck. The segments then would have been joined, dried, burnished to produce a shiny surface, and then fired in a reduction kiln to achieve the dark gray color.