In the region covering present-day Iran and its vicinities, the production of undecorated earthenware began around 6000 BC. By 5000-4000 BC, earthenware decorated with geometric or animal patterns painted in black or brown pigments began to be produced in the Mesopotamia and the neighboring western region. By around 1000 BC, red, gray and black earthenware with burnished surfaces began to appear in various regions. Particularly in the south coast region of Caspian Sea, unique earthenware vessels in the shape of human beings and animals were produced in large numbers.
Blessed with rich mineral resources, casting technique developed in the Iranian Plateau region to a high standard, producing various metal works. Although the uses of some of these works are unknown today, there are many examples that share the forms and decorations with earthenware.
This exhibition introduces the highly individual craftsmanship bloomed in the land of ancient Iran through the approximately 30 works of earthenware and bronze ware from the Takada Collection.
| Title | Featured Exhibition: Earthenware and Bronze Ware of Ancient Iran from the Takada Collection – Their Forms and Decoration |
Dates | Saturday, July 28, 2018～Sunday, August 19, 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka (Gallery F) | Closed days | Mondays |
| Opening hours | 9:30 am – 5:00 pm (last admission: 4:30) | Organized by | The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka |
| Admission | Adults 500 (400) yen, University and high school students 300(250) yen a. Prices in parenthesis are group discount rates for a party of 20 or more b. The following visitors are free of charge: ① Holders of special IDs such as Shogaisha techo (Identification Booklet for the Physically Disabled), including one attendant ② Residents of Osaka City aged 65 or older (please show ID) ③ Junior high school students and younger children c. Admission includes access to all exhibitions in the Museum. |
Number of items on display | approximately 30 works |
| Also showing | Chinese and Korean Ceramics of the Ataka Collection, Korean Ceramics of the Rhee Byung-chang Collection, Japanese Ceramics, Chinese Snuff Bottles of the Oki Shoichiro Collection |
Inquiries |
The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka Phone: 06-6223-0055 Fax : 06-6223-0057 |
First half of the 1st millennium BC
Luristan Region, Iran
Height: 39.4cm Width: 18.4cm
Gift of Ms. Takada Sanae (Accession No. 02351)
The male figure holding a spouted jar at his chest has his face colored with red pigment. There are four holes on top of his head and the eyes, ears, nose and mouth are also perforated. The seemingly naked body actually shows traces of clothes drawn in red pigment and he even wears a necklace and pointed shoes, which are also painted. There are examples of spouted jars in bronze and earthenware, and the spouted jar in this work is reproduced accurately, paying attention to every detail. The perforated interior of the jar is connected to the hollowed body. This distinct form and structure suggest that this work is representing a particular scene of a festival or a ceremony, although the use is unknown. It can be surmised from the clay material as well as the form and motif of the spouted jar that this work was produced in the Luristan region situated in the Zagros mountain range in western Iran.
Middle Sialk III period, latter half of the 4th millennium BC
Tepe Sialk, Iran
Height: 18.8cm Diameter: 14.7cm
Gift of Ms. Takada Sanae (Accession No. 02357)
The light brown clay body, containing some sand grains, is covered with slip having a slightly yellowish tinge, onto which motifs are painted in black pigment. The form and decoration of this stemmed bowl makes this work a typical example produced in this period. The bowl and stem were made separately and afterward luted together. Goats with large horns are painted on three sections of the body, alternating with checks or other geometric patterns. A similar example was excavated from the stratum of Sialk III period of Tepe Sialk, a type site of the Iranian Plateau located in the suburb of Kashan. The goat motif painted on both examples are similarly stylized, although the horns are painted in a different way, such as in a wave-like pattern or in an arc form. Sialk III period can be divided into three sub-periods and this example is considered to be a product of the middle period, which falls in the latter half of the fourth millennium BC.
Early 1st millennium BC
Gilan region, Iran
Height:15.3cm Length: 23.5cm
Gift of Ms. Takada Sanae (Accession No. 02371)
This animal-shaped pottery is characterized by the elongated muzzle, simplified face, slender and linear limbs and the gloss on the surface made by careful burnishing. This vessel is in the shape of a donkey-like animal carrying leather bags on its back, though there are also examples having forms of deer or zebu (humped cattle). They all have beak-shaped muzzles and hollowed bodies in which water or other liquid can be stored. In 1961, five zebu-shaped earthenware vessels were lined up in neat order when it was uncovered from the Marlik site in Gilan, located in the south coast region of Caspian Sea. This case suggests that these animal-shaped earthenware vessels were associated with funerary observances.
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