Model of a House with Amorous Couple
Ceramic house models may have been wedding gifts. The erotic imagery on the rooftop of the luster house model, complemented by inscribed good wishes, relates the object to marriage. The turquoise model’s open courtyard with pierced balustrade and corner roof projections suggests a vernacular building. A festive occasion is depicted, with seated personages holding cups and a couple dancing with raised arms. The role of the turbaned, bearded man on a high stepped stool—a figure who bears the conventional traits of older, wise, educated, or religious men—remains enigmatic.
Artwork Details
- Title: Model of a House with Amorous Couple
- Date: 12th–early 13th century
- Geography: Made in Iran
- Medium: Stonepaste; molded, glazed in opaque white, luster-painted
- Dimensions: H. 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm)
W. 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm)
D. 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm)
Wt. 18.7 oz. (530.2 g) - Classification: Ceramics
- Credit Line: The Grinnell Collection, Bequest of William Milne Grinnell, 1920
- Object Number: 20.120.66
- Curatorial Department: Islamic Art
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