On March 14th, 2022, the Joukowsky Institute hosted an exhibit opening for The Stories Objects Tell. We invited the artists who submitted work to the show as well as all members of the Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design communities. The event began at 4 PM, and it was a pleasure to see many show participants, visitors, and people affiliated with the Joukowsky Institute in attendance.

Peter van Dommelen, Director of the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, began the event by welcoming attendants and introducing the exhibit. After Peter gave an opening speech, I spoke about my inspiration for the show and my gratitude to the artists. We then transitioned to allow the guests to tour Rhode Island Hall and view the artworks installed throughout the building. Visitors wandered through the first, second, and third floors of the Institute, following an exhibit map to locate artwork in the show. 

During the remainder of the opening, artists and visitors chatted about the work and ventured throughout the Institute to view the exhibit. Several of the artists discussed the meaning and inspiration of their artwork in greater detail, and it was very exciting to learn all of the ways that the study of archaeology shaped and kindled their visions. 

Peter later told me that the exhibit opening was the first large, in-person event at the Joukowsky Institute since the beginning of the pandemic. It was very exciting to hear this and to see so many members of the Brown and RISD communities together in one space. As a senior at Brown, it has been sad to see the ongoing pandemic limit opportunities for community and connection on campus over the past few years. Despite the many months of isolation that COVID engendered, I am thrilled to have spent my last few months at Brown engaging with peers, professors, and staff in a celebration of art and community.

Object: M299
JIAAW, Minassian Collection

How was a processional standard like this one originally used? This curvilinear, bronze object is a seventeenth century processional standard (‘alam) that was found in Iran. When the standard was made in the seventeenth century, the powerful Safavid dynasty (1501 to 1736 CE) controlled Iran and surrounding territories in the Middle East. The Safavids were generous patrons of art and architecture, cultivating and supporting the production of masterful book arts, painting, textiles, and buildings. 

The Safavids embraced Twelver Shiism, a major form of Shi’a Islam. Unlike the Ottomans to the west and the Mughals to the east, who practiced Sunni Islam, the Safavids subscribed to the belief that the leader of the Islamic world should be a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. Shi’a religion greatly influenced the arts during the Safavid period, including the function and decoration of the bronze processional standard in the Joukowsky Institute collection. Followers of Shi’a would have used a standard like this one in processions, particularly during ‘Ashura, the tenth day of the month of Muharram. On this day, the Shi’a community remembers the martyrdom of Imam Husain, the grandson of Muhammad, in 680 CE.

The bronze standard in the Joukowsky Institute’s collection is shaped like a teardrop, with a triangular finial on top. In the center of the teardrop form and upper finial are Arabic descriptions of important Shi’a figures, such as Allah, Muhammad, and Ali. Religious proclamations also line the edges of the standard, revealing the religious function of the standard. A curved finial extends below the bottom half of object, though one half of the structure had fallen off before the object arrived at the Joukowsky. Processional standards like this one were often attached to poles and carried during ceremonies, as the round protrusion at the bottom of the standard suggests.

There are several other standards that can be viewed online. In 2014, Christie’s auctioned a remarkably similar object with a teardrop form, calligraphic inscriptions in Arabic, and a curvilinear border. The Christie’s standard dates to the sixteenth to seventeenth century, and its placement on a platform and pole suggest its original use in processions.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art also holds a similar object in its collection, along with the Aga Khan Museum and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The ‘alam from the latter’s collection is from the Mughal Empire, and it was placed on top of a pole with cloth in Deccani Shiite processions.

Today, Muslim communities around the world continue to participate in ceremonies to mourn Imam Hussein during the sacred month of Muharram. In the ritual of Nakhl Gardani in Yazd, Iran, Muslims gather together in a large crowd and carry a large wooden structure called the Nakhl that is covered with shawls, fabrics, mirrors, and lanterns (Tehran Times 2020). The bronze processional standard at the Joukowsky Institute memorializes the art and architecture of the Safavid Dynasty while taking part in a long tradition of Shi’a ceremonial rituals.

-Kristen Marchetti ‘22

Read more about the Safavid Dynasty, processional standards, and Muharram at the links below (my sources of information, in addition to pages linked in text):

Objects: M290abc, M276, M287abc, M229, and M270
JIAAW, Minassian Collection

This Virtual Vault post focuses on a subset of objects in the Joukowsky Institute’s collection whose origins have been the subject of debate amongst Joukowsky community members for some time. They are the pottery roundels that were given to the JIAAW as part of the Minassian Collection, consisting of round pieces of clay with designs etched onto their surfaces, as well as both negative and positive plaster impressions of the clay roundels. The roundels depict a wide range of designs and symbolic subjects, including animals, plants, and geometric shapes. While the Institute’s records attribute these roundels to 13th century Iran, similar objects have been found in many other ancient sites, with some having been used for entirely different purposes from one another. 

Some of the earliest examples of clay molds come from Central Mexico during the Early Formative period (ca. 1800-1200 BCE), where they were used as decorative devices for embellishing clothing, ceramics, and even the person. Typically depicting abstract geometric designs and animal imagery, often in repeating patterns, these clay stamps have been found in ancient burial sites, indicating the meaningful cultural association attached to these objects. The practice of creating and using these clay stamps continued through to the early sixteenth century CE, as exemplified by the Aztec people’s wide use of stamps to apply ink to figurines, clothing, paper, and the body.

Aside from decoration, stamps in antiquity also served practical purposes. Lumps of clay pressed with seal markings, or bullae, originate from the Seleucid period in Iran (306 – c.150 BCE). Bullae were used to shut jars, doors, and baskets, and were designed to prevent tampering with the contents inside.

Cylinder seals could be used to impress intricate designs onto bullae, or were covered with ink and rolled directly onto important documents.

Meanwhile, the ancient Romans used stamps for similar purposes of identification and proof of ownership, but instead of marking papers they marked bread. Since most bread was baked in communal ovens, Roman bakers placed custom bronze stamps on top of their dough so that they could differentiate finished loaves from one another.

Yet, the use of stamp-like objects in antiquity did not stop with bullae or bread making. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is home to a group of ceramic roundels similar to the ones here at the Joukowsky Institute that also once belonged to Kirkor Minassian. According to the Met, these roundels are actually bath scrapers, used in steamy bath houses called hammams to scrub away dead skin and eliminate impurities. Like the clay roundels in the Joukowsky Vault, these scrapers have been attributed to 12th-13th century Iran. While simpler designs could have served the same function of exfoliating the skin, perhaps the intricate illustrations of these bath scrapers says something about the personality of both the artisans who made them and the ancient people who bought and used them. 

The exploration of these once mysterious pottery roundels reflects the natural place that curiosity and imagination have in archaeology. When placed next to one another, each of the objects mentioned in this post share key characteristics that can make them seem very similar to one another. Yet, a deeper look within each object’s cultural context demonstrates the many uses and purposes of stamp-like objects in antiquity despite their apparent similarities.

-Jinette Jimenez ‘21

Read more about ancient stamps and seals:

See other examples of stamps and bath scrapers:

Object: M167
JIAAW, Minassian Collection

Decorated with a symmetrical design of blue and green hues, object M167 from the Joukowsky Institute’s Minassian Collection is a rich example of Damascus ware. Damascus tiles were derived from the tradition of Iznik ceramics, a school of Turkish pottery that flourished between the 15th and 17th centuries. Inspired by Chinese porcelain wares and the intricate designs of Persian pottery, Iznik wares often depicted floral motifs in colors of deep blues and white. In the mid-16th century, the Ottoman sultan Suleyman the Magnificent sent Iznik potters to repair tiles at the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Once their work was completed, the Iznik potters traveled about 135 miles north to Damascus, a city in present-day Syria. The artisans settled in Damascus, continuing to create tiles and vessels rooted in the Iznik tradition. Yet, it was in Damascus that the color palette changed from bright whites and vibrant blues and reds to more muted tones inspired by nature. In object M167, one may notice blues inspired by the sky and sea, hints of sage green reminiscent of vegetation, and earthy brown accents. 

Although Iznik ceramics are considered to be the emblems of the golden age of Islamic tile production, Damascus tiles found throughout the Ottoman Empire and in its capital city of Istanbul were more readily available to Western collectors in the 19th century. It is through this market that Western museums and many collectors were able to acquire Damascus tiles and may be how this particular tile ended up as part of the Minassian’s collection.

-Jinette Jimenez ‘21

Read about the history of the Minassian Collection here.

Read more about Damascus tiles and see other examples:

Object: M039
JIAAW, Minassian Collection

Object M039 is a blue and white Kubachi ware dish decorated with birds, flowers, and other vegetal images. Flowers and plants are a common and universal decorative motif found in many styles of artwork throughout the world, and Islamic art is no exception. As the Islamic empire expanded throughout the 7th Century and onwards, the artistic traditions and techniques of conquered areas were adopted into the empire’s ceramic ware production. 

Early Islamic rulers prioritized promoting high levels of production for both everyday and luxury objects over forcing craftspeople to adhere to a distinctive visual language. Thus, the power and wealth of the Islamic empire was emphasized through its incorporation of Byzantine, Egyptian, Iranian, and Roman traditions that drew from natural imagery. 

Over time, however, Islamic art did develop a distinct aesthetic identity. Two prominent features, geometry and symmetry, are seen in the decoration of Object M039. Here, plantlife is depicted in six uniformly spaced segments on the plate’s inside wall. Meanwhile, a bird proudly displays its feathery wings in the center of the piece, a nod to the importance of birds as symbols of safety and rescue in the Muslim tradition. 

-Jinette Jimenez ‘21

Read more about flowers, plants, and birds in Islamic art and see other examples:

Object: 297
JIAAW, Wagner Collection

The Joukowsky Institute is fortunate enough to have two hairpins, one made of bone and the other of bronze, in its collection. This Virtual Vault entry, the second in a series featuring each of the two hairpins in the vault, is about Object 297, the bronze hairpin.

This object is a thin, pointed bronze hairpin adorned with a flat finial in the shape of a bird. A closer look reveals that the bird was created with a punch pattern and is decorated with hammered circles. While the exact age of this hairpin is unknown, it is old enough for green patina to have developed over time, a sign of the natural oxidation of the bronze material. 

Hairpins that are aesthetically similar to Object 297 have been identified as ancient Roman and Greek artifacts. Although this particular hairpin might not be ancient, its design offers insight into the relationship that ancient people had with nature. In his book Birds in the Ancient World: Winged Words, Jeremy Mynott describes the various ways in which ancient Greeks and Romans interacted and related with birds. Birds were not only resources for farming and hunting, but were treated as pets, agents, and friends. The ancient practice of augury further demonstrates the importance of birds in the ancient world. The Romans especially paid close attention to the calls, movements, behaviors, and appearances of birds to anticipate the likelihood of certain events. In this way, birds acted as omens from the gods, allowing for deities to communicate with earthly people and demonstrate approval or disapproval of their actions. It’s no wonder that birds showed up as decorative elements in ancient wares and jewelry, including hairpins like Object 297.

-Jinette Jimenez ‘21

Read more about ancient birds and see other examples of hairpins: