Stacked circles (green) thumbnail 1
Stacked circles (green) thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 137, The Curtain Foundation Gallery

Stacked circles (green)

Ceramic Sculpture
2012
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Ibrahim Said (b.1976) was born and raised in the district of Fustat, the most important centre for pottery production in Islamic Egypt. In these works (ME.5-2013 and ME.6-2013) Said takes inspiration from the huge number of unglazed ceramic water filters that were found during excavations of Fustat in the 19th century. Dating from 1000 to 1200 AD, these filters sat inside the necks of water jugs to prevent flies and dirt from falling into the water, and often featured geometric or figurative designs. Said celebrates this historic art form by incorporating their patterns into his innovative ceramic forms. He also uses glazes which reference the glaze colours traditionally used on medieval ceramics made in Fustat.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleStacked circles (green)
Materials and techniques
White earthenware, wheel-thrown and hand-carved, glazed
Brief description
Ceramic sculpture, earthenware, by Ibrahim Said, Egypt, 2012
Physical description
This piece has a pyramidal structure. Three green circular rings form the base, standing upright, each with a central area of incised shapes and lines in white on each side. Above them are three round half spheres in green, which connect to a further three half rings at the top. These rings are joined together and incised with the same pattern on each side as those at the base.
Dimensions
  • Height: 25cm
  • Depth: 25cm
Content description
The design references medieval ceramic water filters.
Credit line
Given by Mr Ibrahim Said
Summary
Ibrahim Said (b.1976) was born and raised in the district of Fustat, the most important centre for pottery production in Islamic Egypt. In these works (ME.5-2013 and ME.6-2013) Said takes inspiration from the huge number of unglazed ceramic water filters that were found during excavations of Fustat in the 19th century. Dating from 1000 to 1200 AD, these filters sat inside the necks of water jugs to prevent flies and dirt from falling into the water, and often featured geometric or figurative designs. Said celebrates this historic art form by incorporating their patterns into his innovative ceramic forms. He also uses glazes which reference the glaze colours traditionally used on medieval ceramics made in Fustat.
Collection
Accession number
ME.5-2013

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdFebruary 22, 2013
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest