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From Foreign to Familiar

Rare Early Islamic Pottery
Special exhibit

  • Date iconFebruary 21 2019 - February 20 2020
  • Curator: Liza Lurie
  • Designer: Rivka Myers
  • pottery

The decoration of the Early Islamic unglazed pottery displayed here – the white background, the dark, stylized lines, and the woven, textile-like surfaces – is reminiscent of Coptic (Christian Egyptian) textiles. Indeed, Early Islamic material culture absorbed many foreign influences. Birds with outspread wings, fruit-laden date palms, pine cones, cypress trees, and other natural motifs were common throughout the region during this period.

Plate decorated with a floral pattern
Nes Ziona, 8th century, decorated pottery

 

Bowl decorated with a guilloche pattern featuring birds and date palms
Nes Ziona, 8th century, decorated pottery
Coptic textile fragment
Egypt, 7th century, wool and line