The eastern Iranian slipwares to which category this jug belongs, were first collected from the old city of Samarqand, and were identified as Afrasiyab pottery; later the American excavations at Nishapur discovered similar types, and this site became the focus of attention. The East Iranian slip tradition was underway by the end of the 9th century and declined into the 11th century. The ambiguity of sparse archeological data undermines conclusions previously made about the various styles and quality of decoration found in this genre but probably at the heart of it was the existence of differentiated commercial markets and social groupings each with their own ideological and cultural backgrounds, for which supplies were commissioned.
This finely molded jug sports bold decoration applied in black slipware with vertical lines around the body of the piece creating panels. Each panel contains several letters of a pseudo-script. The design of the jug was inspired by period metalwork and was individually created accounting for its rapid schematic character. As Ceramics these are among the best made pieces from the Islamic world – a consummate handling to produce large, thin walled vessels with straight flaring sides; a pure white slip with intense black decoration, under a brilliant transparent glaze. At the height of their style, these wares have excited the greatest admiration from scholars and collectors. “Their beauty is of the highest intellectual order; they hold the essence of Islam undiluted”. (Arthur Lane 1947, Early Islamic Pottery, p.18).