Small Vase
13th century
1 of 9
Object Label
Wasters, or ceramic products damaged during the firing process and therefore discarded as waste near the original kilns. Excavations by the Ottoman Imperial Museum in 1906 and 1908, by chance conducted near the thirteenth-century kilns, most likely exposed the buried wasters.
Caption
Small Vase, 13th century. Ceramic, fritware, 4 3/4 x 4 3/4 x 4 1/4 in. (12 x 12 x 10.8 cm) Diameter at mouth: 2 1/16 in. (5.2 cm) Thickness of rim: 3/16 in. (0.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederic B. Pratt, 36.944.
Collection
Collection
Title
Small Vase
Date
13th century
Period
Ayyubid
Geography
Place made: Raqqa, Syria
Medium
Ceramic, fritware
Classification
Dimensions
4 3/4 x 4 3/4 x 4 1/4 in. (12 x 12 x 10.8 cm) Diameter at mouth: 2 1/16 in. (5.2 cm) Thickness of rim: 3/16 in. (0.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederic B. Pratt
Accession Number
36.944
Frequent Art Questions
Can you tell me about the vibrant blue glaze on the small vase? Why is it so much brighter than the other pots? Do you know about the firing process?
Sure. The body of the vessel was decorated with black pigment and then covered with a transparent turquoise glaze likely colored with copper oxides.Black and turquoise ware is typical of Raqqa ceramics from this period as potters took advantage of the fritware body to provide a white background and the stability of the black pigment to execute a crisp design. Other vessels in this display are rejects or mistakes that, therefore, do not show the same level of finish.
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