Zoomorphic Pitcher

24   Zoomorphic pitcher Iran, Seljuk-Atabeg period, 13th century[1] Molded fritware covered with turquoise (copper) alkali glaze opacified with tin 18.4 × 10.2 cm (7 1/4 × 4 in.) 2002.50.99   This pitcher is molded in the shape of an ox; the animal wears a harness defined in low relief. Despite the thinness of the potting, the vessel is intact. The glaze has deteriorated in some areas, but the overall surface is in very good condition.   Although its slender handle could have made it difficult to carry when full,[2] this pitcher may nevertheless have been used to serve wine, since bull-shaped vessels are known to have been employed for this purpose in medieval Iran.[3] Similar examples in different techniques can be found in public collections in North America and Europe; a near twin is in the Hetjens Museum in Düsseldorf.[4]   Ayşin Yoltar-Yıldırım   [1] The results of thermoluminescence analysis of this pitcher carried out by Oxford Authentication Ltd. in 2011 were inconclusive. [2] Such vessels may have been made mostly for display purposes: see Watson 1985, 120. [3] See, in this catalogue, Oya Pancaroğlu’s essay, “Feasts of Nishapur: Cultural Resonances of Tenth-Century Ceramic Production in Khurasan,” 25–35. [4] Hetjens Museum 1973, 129.