Jug with Seated Figures and Vines

Mina’i is a modern collectors’ term for ceramics made in Iran during the late 12th to early 13th centuries. The term mina’i, translates as “enamelled” in Persian, designating the colored glass pigments used to paint detailed figural decoration on vessels or tiles, which were then fixed on the ceramic base by multiple firings. The use of a wide range of colors, including turquoise, red, green, purple, and black, also led these types of ceramics to be called by the Persian term “haft rang,” or “seven colors.”
These colorful compositions created complex narrative scenes which paralleled manuscript painting. Mina’i ware scenes often depict courtly pursuits, such as feasting, fighting, or poetry and music performances. This jug features two rows of figures seated amongst a lattice of scrolls and vines. The juxtaposition of human figures with vegetal motifs alludes to social gatherings in a garden, yet another leisurely courtly activity frequently depicted on mina’i ceramics. Two kufic inscriptions line the inner and outer rims of the jug opening.

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.

Henry Walters, Baltimore, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.