Floating Vase 6

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© Ibrahim Said. Image courtesy of the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College, …
Floating Vase 6
© Ibrahim Said. Image courtesy of the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College, Clinton, NY. Photo by John Bentham.
Artist/Maker (Egyptian, born 1976)
Date2021
MediumWhite earthenware with glaze
DimensionsOverall: 20 3/4 × 10 1/2 × 9 1/2 in. (52.7 × 26.7 × 24.1 cm)
Credit LinePurchase, William G. Roehrick ’34 Art Acquisition and Preservation Fund
Object number2021.11
On view
DescriptionFloating Vase 6 is so-called because of the space that exists between the top and bottom sections of this intricately carved vessel, creating the appearance that the top is “floating” in the air. This astonishing object was handmade by ceramic artist Ibrahim Said who is known for his technically brilliant works that reference Islamic design traditions and over three thousand years of Egyptian ceramic production. Growing up in Fustat, an historic area of Cairo associated with commercial pottery manufacturing, Said practiced carving and hand-building objects made of the local clay in his father’s studio from the age of six. He became increasingly interested in a career as an artist rather than an artisan like his father, and started to draw inspiration for his works from the traditional forms that he saw expressed in local architecture, metalwork, mosaics, and glass, as well as objects in museums. The perforated surfaces and animal iconography of Said’s Floating Vase series reflect his interest in historic Islamic jug filters. These functional and aesthetic filters are found inside the necks of drinking jars and were designed to remove some of the impurities found in Nile River water. Often highly decorative, the filters are only visible to the person drinking from the vessel. Floating Vase 6 is part of Said’s innovative attempt to bring renewed life and appreciation to these discreet ancient ceramic techniques and designs.
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Additional Details

Exhibition History 2024-2025
Clinton, NY. The Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Menagerie: Animals in Art from the Wellin Museum," September 7, 2024 –June 8, 2025 (no cat.).
Provenance 2021: Hamilton College (Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art), by purchase from Yossi Milo Gallery.
Signature Incised "Ibrahim Said" on bottom.
Jug
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Object number: 1929.76
Pitcher
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Medium: Blown glass with trailing
Object number: 1929.116
© Roberto Lugo courtesy of Wexler Gallery. Image courtesy of the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum o…
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