Exhibition:
Wit and Wine: A New Look at Ancient Iranian Ceramics from the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation
14 May - 30 October 2005
Organised by: Berkshire Museum(Free to Members; Non-members free with Museum admission)
39 South Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201
USA
The slender, curving neck of a water bird; the pronounced shoulder of a zebu bull; a curious vessel with its cone-shaped head, slit-like nostrils and long body, resembling a crocodile-45 beautiful, technically sophisticated and often amusing ceramics of ancient Iran illustrate the 5,000-year ceramic tradition that flourished there until 100 BCE.
The jugs, jars, beakers and spouted vessels in the exhibition were used for holding, pouring and drinking liquids, especially wine. Wit and Wine: A New Look at Ancient Iranian Ceramics from the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation explores how ancient Iranian potters made and decorated these vessels with high quality craftsmanship and design, and often with a unique sense of humor. Some pieces were created to serve specific functions, such as cosmetic containers, some vessels were made to look like metal, and others are purely sculptural forms.
This exhibition was organized by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, New York. Arthur M. Sackler, M.D. (1913-1987), a research psychiatrist, medical publisher, and connoisseur and collector of art, established the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation in 1965 to make his extensive art collections available for viewing by the general public.
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