Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
The albarello was a jar designed to hold ointments and drugs for pharmacists. They were produced in the Middle East and Spain, as well as late medieval and Renaissance Italy. Albarellos are usually painted with floral, vegetal, or geometric designs. Arabic inscriptions are less common but here the elegant text reads: “Modesty [comes] from faith, and faith [comes] from Paradise,” attributed to the Prophet Muhammad.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
159535
label
Albarello Jar with an Aphorism
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
159535
contentType
object
title
Albarello Jar with an Aphorism
description
The albarello was a jar designed to hold ointments and drugs for pharmacists. They were produced in the Middle East and Spain, as well as late medieval and Renaissance Italy. Albarellos are usually painted with floral, vegetal, or geometric designs. Arabic inscriptions are less common but here the elegant text reads: “Modesty [comes] from faith, and faith [comes] from Paradise,” attributed to the Prophet Muhammad.
date
900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60752970
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 9.7 cm (3 13/16 in.); Overall: 13 cm (5 1/8 in.)
cul
Central Asia, Samarkand, Samanid period (819–1005)
accession
1996.298
Source extras
tec
Earthenware with underglaze decoration
tombstone
Albarello Jar with an Aphorism, 900s. Central Asia, Samarkand, Samanid period (819–1005). Earthenware with underglaze decoration; diameter: 9.7 cm (3 13/16 in.); overall: 13 cm (5 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1996.298
collection
Islamic Art
inscriptions
inscription
In Arabic: al-haya min al-iman w'al-iman min al-janna
inscription_translation
Modesty [comes] from faith, and faith [comes] from Paradise.
inscription_remark
The phrase is an aphorism attributed to the Prophet Muhammad in Hadith Literature.
sortorder
1
didYouKnow
The jar's Arabic inscription written in Eastern Kufic script.
citations
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art, “Renaissance Armor, Early Islamic Ceramic, French Vase, Gleitsman Painting Added to Museum Collection,” December 13, 1996, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.
citation
McWilliams, Mary, "A Samanid Albarello", Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine</em>. Vol. 37 no. 08, October 1997
page_number
Mentioned & reproduced: pp. 8–9
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:16:27.227000
sourceId
159535
dept
Islamic Art
coll
Islamic Art
med
Earthenware with underglaze decoration
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
89af3f8292aa6bdb