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Unknown Maker, Anatolian

Ewer with Sphinx

Maker

Unknown Maker, Anatolian

Culture

Anatolian

Title

Ewer with Sphinx

Year

ca. 1100-1300

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

glazed earthenware

Geography

Geographic Reference: Anatolia

Dimensions

Height: 16.5 cm (6 1/2 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mr. Robert Lehman

Object Number

49.137

Type

Exhibition History

Being and Believing in the Natural World
Perspectives from the Ancient Mediterranean, Asia, and Indigenous North America
Oct 22, 2022 – Jun 04, 2023
It Comes in Many Forms
Islamic Art from the Collection
Oct 23, 2020 – Dec 18, 2021

Label copy

Fantastical animals are found throughout Islamic art. This turquoise ewer is encircled in black, cobalt, and red winged sphinxes, or griffins, referencing ancient Egyptian and Turko-Persian styles. The line of creatures, which also includes a person and a large bird, is surrounded by repeated bands of stylized geometric marks resembling Kufic, or early Arabic, inscriptions.

This work was made during the last years of the Seljuk Empire (1037-1194) or soon after. Spanning what is now Iran to northwestern China, the Seljuks brought many Asian cultures and artistic practices together.

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Anatolian
Ewer with Sphinx, ca. 1100-1300
Earthenware with glaze
Height: 16.5 cm (6 1/2 inches)
Gift of Mr. Robert Lehman 49.137

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