Caption

Fragment of a bowl, unknown Northern Mesopotamian workshop. Checkerboards, geometric motifs, painted pottery; Halaf culture c. 5200–c. 4500 BC; earlier dating c. 6500–c. 5500 BC. Northern Mesopotamia Iraq/Syria/Turkey. Pottery fragment: wall of a bowl with preserved thin rim. Before firing, decoration of geometric motifs was painted with ferrous clay on both sides over a layer of dried, heavily smoothed slip/glaze; after firing the painted motifs are red, background cream on the outside and light brown on the inside. Outer decoration: banded composition from top downward — a wide horizontal band, then alternating rows of single dots and two continuous thin lines, below which a single thin line with superimposed irregular ovals. Inner surface covered with a fine red checkered motif. Material: pottery. Dimensions: height 4.7 cm, width 4.6 cm, depth 0.5 cm; weight 10 g., A broken shard of pottery photographed against a gray background, showing a worn surface patterned with a grid of lighter square shapes on a reddish-brown field; the shard’s edges reveal a beige, sandy interior and areas where the reddish surface paint is chipped, with a few small darker spots and slight surface scratches.

Credit line

Photo12/Liszt Collection

Reference

LZT26A00_372

License type

Rights managed

Available size

32.2Mb (1.4Mb) / 11.2in x 11.2in / 3353 x 3353 (300dpi)

Keywords

Fragment bowl unknown Northern Mesopotamian workshop Checkerboards geometric motifs painted pottery Halaf culture c 5200–c 4500 Bc earlier dating c 6500–c 5500 Bc Northern Mesopotamia Iraq Syria Turkey Pottery fragment wall preserved thin rim firing decoration was painted ferrous clay sides layer dried heavily smoothed slip glaze painted motifs red background cream outside light brown inside Outer decoration banded composition top downward wide horizontal band alternating rows single dots two continuous thin lines single thin line superimposed irregular ovals Inner surface covered fine red checkered motif Material pottery Dimensions height 4.7 cm width 4.6 cm depth 0.5 cm weight 10 g broken shard pottery photographed gray background showing worn surface patterned grid lighter square shapes reddish-brown field shard’s edges reveal beige sandy interior areas reddish surface paint chipped small darker spots slight surface scratches.