The country that we today call Iran was traditionally known as Persia, a name given to the area by the Greeks. In the twentieth century, ruler Reza Shah Pahlavi renamed the country Iran to include all residents, not just Persian-speakers.
The name Iran is from Eran meaning the land of the Aryans (nobles). The Indo-European-speaking Iranians emigrated from the steppes of Central Asia during the second and first millennia BCE.
The Portland Art Museum recently had a display of Iranian art object.
Shown above are four storage jars from the 19th and 20th centuries. The turquoise glaze originated in ancient Egypt.
According to the display:
“These handsome storage jars are typical of the sturdy everyday wares that have been made and cherished in Syria, Iraq, and Iran for many centuries.”
Shown above is a 17th century archway.
According to the display:
“A classical motif in Iranian art is ‘the Parthian shot,’ a famous military tactic in which a mounted warrior turns back to shoot arrows at the enemy, while controlling his horse with his legs. Here, the paired archers are Sagittarius, the centaur of ancient Greek and Persian mythology.”
Shown above is a 10th century bowl from Nishapur.
Shown above is a 10th century bowl with a stylized floral design from Nishapur.
Shown above is a 10th century bowl with a stylized bird design from Nishapur.
Shown above is a 10th century fluted bowl from Nishapur.
Shown above is an 11th splashed sgraffito bowl from Nishapur.
Shown above is a jug with relief floral and gem designs. This dates to sometime between the 10th and 12th centuries.
Shown above is a jug with relief Arabic inscriptions. This dates to sometime between the 10th and 12th centuries. The text on this jug, written in the thuluth script developed at the Abbasid court, has not yet been translated.
Shown above is a square tile dating to the 17th century.
Shown above is an eight-piece tile assembly which dates to the mid-19th century. It shows a flower vase with peacocks, nightingales, and angels.
Shown above is an 18th century birdcage.
Shown above is a 19th century place with stylized floral design.
Shown above is a 19th century colander.
Shown above is an example of Iranian Blue-and-White ceramics.
According to the display:
“Chinese blue-and-white porcelains became extremely popular in the Islamic world from the fourteenth century onward. Iranian potters were inspired to create their own version of blue-and-white ware, but they lacked access to kaolin, the white clay essential for creating a pure white porcelain body. The solution was to coat the local clay with white slip, and then paint designs with cobalt oxide.”
