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Lot Essay
The very well known small group of outstanding large lustre painted "Alhambra" vases derived their shape from large storage jars decorated in different techniques of which the present example is one. Large pottery storage jars and well heds were produced in a number of centre in Southern Spain; each appears to have had slightly different traditions of decoration. The feature seen in the present vase which is typical of Seville of the 11th century is the narrow bands, each of a single repeated stamped motif under a plain green glaze.
A well-head in the National Archaeological Museum, Madrid, dating from 1038 AD has a band of this decoration in the form of a repeated inscription below the rim (Les Andalousies de Damas à Cordoue, exhibition catalogue, Paris, 2001, no.160, p.148). The note to that entry suggests that it is the slightly later examples, under Almohad rule, which covered the decoration with a plain green glaze as found here. Marthe Bernus-Taylor cites another well-head covered with green glaze preserved in the Museum at Tétouan which is dated to 1190 AD. A vase very similar to the present example but in a better state of preservation is in the National Ceramic Museum, Sèvres, attributed to Seville of the 10th or 11th century by Summer Kenesson ("Nasrid Lustre Pottery", Muqarnas, IX, p.97, fig.5). That demonstrates that the mouth was probably not faceted and was lower and more flaring while the handles were probably less pronounced than the reconstruction which is now in place.
A well-head in the National Archaeological Museum, Madrid, dating from 1038 AD has a band of this decoration in the form of a repeated inscription below the rim (Les Andalousies de Damas à Cordoue, exhibition catalogue, Paris, 2001, no.160, p.148). The note to that entry suggests that it is the slightly later examples, under Almohad rule, which covered the decoration with a plain green glaze as found here. Marthe Bernus-Taylor cites another well-head covered with green glaze preserved in the Museum at Tétouan which is dated to 1190 AD. A vase very similar to the present example but in a better state of preservation is in the National Ceramic Museum, Sèvres, attributed to Seville of the 10th or 11th century by Summer Kenesson ("Nasrid Lustre Pottery", Muqarnas, IX, p.97, fig.5). That demonstrates that the mouth was probably not faceted and was lower and more flaring while the handles were probably less pronounced than the reconstruction which is now in place.