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Lot Essay
The decoration was done in a two-part mould; it consists of the repeat of the word al-Mulk (the kingdom) divided by a palmette along the centre of which runs the join of the moulds.
The technique of moulding kufic inscriptions is found on glass vessels from Mesopotamia and from North East Persia. The most famous examples are probably a group of nine small clear glass ewers, two of which are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the other in the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait (Carboni, Stefano and Whitehouse, David: Glass of the Sultans, New York, 2001, nos. 13 and 14, pp.87-8). They have two lines of inscription in an early kufic including a signature and a word which has been read by many as being Baghdad. Those examples however are all rounded at the base without the extruded foot of the present example. As with the designs of tin glazed pottery and bronze ewers, so it appears that this style of decoration was imported from Mesopotamia and became popular in North East Persia. A group of bottles is known, mostly of cobalt-blue or green glass, which are decorated with benedictory inscriptions frequently combined with bands of floral motifs. Carboni and Whitehouse publish two bottles from this group (op.cit, nos.19 and 20, pp.93-4), while others are in various institutions and have appeared on the market. None however were found during the excavations at Nishapur.
The present jug can be seen to belong to this group due to the style of the kufic, the presence of the palmettes, and in the form of the foot. It does however stand out in two respects. The shape is unusual; all the other published examples from the group are bottles with rounded bodies and tall tubular necks. The colour is also spectacular, a rich deep turquoise which is very rarely encountered on any glass of this period.
The technique of moulding kufic inscriptions is found on glass vessels from Mesopotamia and from North East Persia. The most famous examples are probably a group of nine small clear glass ewers, two of which are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the other in the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait (Carboni, Stefano and Whitehouse, David: Glass of the Sultans, New York, 2001, nos. 13 and 14, pp.87-8). They have two lines of inscription in an early kufic including a signature and a word which has been read by many as being Baghdad. Those examples however are all rounded at the base without the extruded foot of the present example. As with the designs of tin glazed pottery and bronze ewers, so it appears that this style of decoration was imported from Mesopotamia and became popular in North East Persia. A group of bottles is known, mostly of cobalt-blue or green glass, which are decorated with benedictory inscriptions frequently combined with bands of floral motifs. Carboni and Whitehouse publish two bottles from this group (op.cit, nos.19 and 20, pp.93-4), while others are in various institutions and have appeared on the market. None however were found during the excavations at Nishapur.
The present jug can be seen to belong to this group due to the style of the kufic, the presence of the palmettes, and in the form of the foot. It does however stand out in two respects. The shape is unusual; all the other published examples from the group are bottles with rounded bodies and tall tubular necks. The colour is also spectacular, a rich deep turquoise which is very rarely encountered on any glass of this period.