A finely modelled glossy reddish orange Amlash pitcher of the early Iron Age. The vessel has a wide flat rim, with a cylindrical neck and a single handle, the shape of which is a vestigial reference to the earlier animal/bird shaped examples. The pitcher stands on a flattened base.
 
Early Iron Age Iran: Circa 10th-9th century BC.
 
Very Fine condition: complete and intact, with a few surface accretions and root traces.
Height 20.5 cms (8 ins)
 
Provenance: From a London collection acquired 1990's.
 
The term 'Amlash Culture', has generally been used for material cultures excavated at Gilan, an archaeological site on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea, and refers to a group of Iron Age pottery and metal executions with a strong visual character. Most Amlash pottery vessels are believed to have been stylistically and typologically inspired by bronze wares of the same period. Hemmed in by mountains, the region remained relatively isolated and so a unique ceramic tradition developed.