Aquamanile
ca. 1220 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This fritware figurine in the shape of a bull was made to hold liquid. It is filled through the hole in the back and its mouth acts as a spout.
Middle Eastern potters developed fritware in response to the challenge of the superior wares imported from China. In the 12th and early 13th centuries, potters in Kashan and other centres in Iran produced fine decorated fritwares in an astonishing range of styles. Unlike high-fired Chinese porcelain, low-fired fritware was soft and porous. Like porcelain it was white all the way through and could be used to make convincing substitutes.
Fritware was also known as stone paste or quartz paste. The main ingredient was fine quartz powder made by grinding sand or pebbles. Small quantities of white clay and a glassy substance known as frit were added. The clay gave plasticity. The frit helped to bind the body after firing.
Middle Eastern potters developed fritware in response to the challenge of the superior wares imported from China. In the 12th and early 13th centuries, potters in Kashan and other centres in Iran produced fine decorated fritwares in an astonishing range of styles. Unlike high-fired Chinese porcelain, low-fired fritware was soft and porous. Like porcelain it was white all the way through and could be used to make convincing substitutes.
Fritware was also known as stone paste or quartz paste. The main ingredient was fine quartz powder made by grinding sand or pebbles. Small quantities of white clay and a glassy substance known as frit were added. The clay gave plasticity. The frit helped to bind the body after firing.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Fritware with lustre decoration |
| Brief description | Lustre-painted fritware aquamanile in the form of a bull, Iran (Kashan), about 1220. |
| Physical description | Fritware aquamanile in the form of a bull, with lustre decoration. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Gallery label | Jameel Gallery
Bull and Lion
Iran, Kashan
About 1220
These figurines were made to hold liquid. The bull's mouth is a spout for pouring, while the lion has only one opening, in its back. It may have been intended as a vase.
Fritware with lustre over the glaze
Ades Family Collection(2006) |
| Credit line | Ades Family Collection, accepted under the Cultural Gifts Scheme by HM Government and allocated to the V&A, 2019. |
| Production | Found at Jurjan (Gorgan) |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This fritware figurine in the shape of a bull was made to hold liquid. It is filled through the hole in the back and its mouth acts as a spout. Middle Eastern potters developed fritware in response to the challenge of the superior wares imported from China. In the 12th and early 13th centuries, potters in Kashan and other centres in Iran produced fine decorated fritwares in an astonishing range of styles. Unlike high-fired Chinese porcelain, low-fired fritware was soft and porous. Like porcelain it was white all the way through and could be used to make convincing substitutes. Fritware was also known as stone paste or quartz paste. The main ingredient was fine quartz powder made by grinding sand or pebbles. Small quantities of white clay and a glassy substance known as frit were added. The clay gave plasticity. The frit helped to bind the body after firing. |
| Other number | LOAN:J.ADES.8 - Previous loan number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | ME.118-2019 |
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| Record created | December 9, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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