The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 14, 2025

Gold jug with a squat, round body, and cylindrical neck of the same height, a handle jutting out and down to connect with the body on one side. Both the body and neck have a central band patterned with circles in which stand birds and with bands of Arabic text above and below (see "Inscriptions"). Hash, circle, and dot detailing incises the birds.

Jug

late 900s

Iran or Iraq, Baghdad, Buyid Period, reign of Samsam al-Dawla

(985-998 AD)
gold with repoussé and chased and engraved decoration
Overall: 12.5 x 10.2 cm (4 15/16 x 4 in.); Diameter of base: 7 cm (2 3/4 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1966.22
Location: Not on view

Description

This jug is one of the rare surviving Islamic vessels made entirely of precious metal. Its inscription bands contain Arabic poetry that translates, in part: "You are the image of the full moon at night, the first gleam of sun on the horizon of the morning. You are a sword in the times of war, a beneficent rain in times of peace . . . your sword cuts the necks of Buyid enemies in great quantities . . . Glory and prosperity to the just king Samsam al-Dawla . . . May God lengthen your reign!"
  • ?–1966
    Mrs. Paul [Marguerite] Mallon [d. 1977], sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1966–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 208 archive.org
    Lee, Sherman E. “Golden Anniversary Acquisitions: September 10 through October 16.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 53, no. 7 (1966): 181–284. Mentioned: no. 126, pp. 191 and 284; Reproduced: no. 126, p. 190 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 208 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 264 archive.org
    Bloom, Jonathan M. “Facts and Fantasy in Buyid Art.” Oriente Moderno 23 (84), no. 2 (2004): 387–400. Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 387–400, fig. 6, p. 399 doi.org
    Gertsman, Elina and Barbara H. Rosenwein. The Middle Ages in 50 Objects. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. Mentioned: pp. 122–125; Reproduced: p. 123
  • {{cite web|title=Jug|url=false|author=|year=late 900s|access-date=14 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1966.22