Bottle Depicting a Hunting Scene
Arts of the Islamic World
On View: Arts of the Islamic World, 2nd floor
MEDIUM
Ceramic; fritware, painted in cobalt blue and black on an opaque white glaze
DATES
first half 17th century
DYNASTY
Safavid
PERIOD
Safavid
DIMENSIONS
11 1/2 × 8 1/4 × 5 1/4 in. (29.2 × 21 × 13.3 cm)
(show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER
34.6024
CREDIT LINE
Brooklyn Museum Collection
PROVENANCE
Prior to 1933, provenance not yet documented; before 1933, acquired from an unidentified source by the Brooklyn Museum, acquisition method not documented.
Provenance FAQ
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Flask, flattened body, with a tall neck cut down. The surface of the flask is molded; it is painted under a discolored transparent glaze in cobalt blue with black outlines. The rough base is unglazed. The decoration is reserved on a blue ground and outlined in black. On one side stands a man with an animal round his shoulders; to the left, a woman kneels before him, offering him a cup. The man wears a European costume - a doublet with a ruff and a hat. The woman is more simply dressed in Persian style. Between the figure is a tray of fruit and a glass (?) flask. In the background are flowers and shrubs of different kinds, birds and cloud-scrolls. The other side is decorated with a hunting scene. A man in European costume fires at a hare (?) with his gun; on the right is a wounded crane. From his waist hangs a powder horn in the form of a bird's head and a bag. The background consists of flowers, leaves, and cloud-scrolls.
CAPTION
Bottle Depicting a Hunting Scene, first half 17th century. Ceramic; fritware, painted in cobalt blue and black on an opaque white glaze, 11 1/2 × 8 1/4 × 5 1/4 in. (29.2 × 21 × 13.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Collection, 34.6024. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 34.6024_side1_SL1.jpg)
IMAGE
side, side 1, 34.6024_side1_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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What is fritware?
Fritware is a type of ceramic material similar to the ancient Egyptian faience. "Frit" is a finely ground, glassy substance often made from quartz. Potters add an oxide to the frit which functions as a "flux" and lowers the melting point of the frit. This mixture can then be melted into a more fluid state and formed into tiles or vessels like you see in our gallery.
Fritware is stronger than traditional clay meaning that it can produce a greater variety of forms with thinner and more decorative walls. Fritware is also naturally white which, of course, takes color much more easily than a brown, earthenware body.
Tell me more.
I love the design on this bottle and the way the hunter seems hidden amidst thick foliage. In contrast to the Chinese-inspired designs nearby, the figures on this bottle wear European-inspired clothing in a style popular in Safavid period Persia.
Something especially unique about this one is the way that the blue glaze fills the negative space while the naturally white color of the fritware makes up the foreground.
