Libro

THE ORIGINS of the western ceramic tradition lie in the Near and Middle East. As early as the Neolithic or New Stone Age, the seventh millennium BC, the artisans of this region were transforming utilitarian clay vessels into carefully considered forms whose surfaces were painted with red, black or white clay slip. This development appeared at about the same time in several places in the Near East, but it was in Iran that the longest and most fruitful ceramic tradition developed. While most cultures of the ancient Near East produced attractive pottery at some point in their development, the cultures of Iran gave birth to a distinctive tradition of fine ceramics that spanned at least five thousand years. In contrast to Mesopotamia where ceramics ceased to be a major art form after the fourth millennium BC, Iran produced ceramic works of artistic significance well into the second millennium AD. Thus Iran may be seen as the fourth great ceramic tradition, taking its place beside the Chinese, Greek and pre-Columbian achievements.
The Iranian ceramic tradition, particularly in its pre-Islamic phases, is characterized by elegant rounded shapes, often with narrow mouths and long beak-like spouts. Indeed the remarkable number of vessels with extremely long spouts suggests that the ceremonial pouring of liquids was a major concern of ancient Iranian culture in all periods. Iranian ceramics are further identified by one of two decorative surfaces: the first features painting- generally dark on a light ground- depicting birds or mountain goats and geometric patterns based on small squares with interior crosses (henceforth, crossed squares) or diagonal crosses ("bow ties" or "butterflies"),the second was achieved by the manipulation of firing conditions to produce either red/orange or gray/black wares. Both types of decoration may be enhanced by burnishing - the careful smoothing of the pot's surface before it is completely dry to produce a shiny, almost metallic sheen after firing. Burnishing and painted decoration may appear on the bottom or foot of the vessel as well as on the more visible belly, shoulder and rim. These characteristics of shape and decoration appear primarily on the fine ceramics. The utilitarian, common, or kitchenwares of ancient Iran rarely received such aesthetic attention, as they were produced, used, and broken in quantities too great to allow for such visual refinement.
Archaeological research has frequently focused on these common-ware vessels, using them quantitatively to identify and date phases of a culture. The art historian, on the other hand, is concerned with the fine wares and with questions of aesthetics raised by the pots. While the art historian is dependent upon the archaeologist for the actual works themselves and for their dating, archaeological methods are not necessarily formulated to answer art-historical questions, particularly those concerning style. Because fine ceramics are relatively few in number and often unique in appearance, quantitative analysis is not always fruitful. Art historians are also indebted to anthropologists for help in understanding how the ancient vessels were produced and used, based on the latters' studies of the practices of living cultures. But it is the art historian's task to investigate why the vessels look the way they do, to reveal the aesthetic dynamics that operated within a given culture to shape its ceramic art, and to trace the patterns of aesthetic choices made by the craftspersons who produced them. The visual response of the modern viewer is important to the art historian, and this involvement, and its attendant pleasures, can be fully realized only by utilizing both archaeological and anthropological data. As a result of these varied contributions, the enjoyment and appreciation of ancient Iranian ceramics is a cooperative effort enriching all the disciplines involved.
The focus of our attention, the land of ancient Iran, is an upland region bounded by the Persian Gulf to the south, the Zagros Mountains on the west, the Caspian Sea and the Kopet Dagh Mountains on the north, and a series of deserts and dry plains to the east. Archaeologically as well as geographically, Iran may be divided into several regions encircling the deserts of the central and eastern portions. In terms of the ceramic arts, the most significant areas known today are the northern tier running from Azerbaijan in the west along the Elburz Mountains and eastward into the Gurgan Plains, the Zagros Mountains in the west, and the lowlands of Khuzistan in the southwest, touching the Persian Gulf and bordered by the Bakhtiari Mountains.
The ancient cultures of pre-Islamic Iran gave birth to a distinctive tradition of fine ceramics that spanned at least five thousand years, from the Neolithic period to the time of Roman activity in the Near East. The quality of the craftsmanship and excellence of design, combined with the very long period during which the art flourished, distinguish the ceramic art of ancient Iran from that of other Near Eastern cultures. In fact, the pottery of Iran may be seen as a fourth great ceramic tradition, taking its place alongside the Chinese, Greek, and Pre-Columbian achievements.