This large blue jar was created during the Ilkhanid period (1256 to 1353), a khanate that encompassed parts of modern-day Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkey. Despite not being of Persian descent, the Ilkhanid rulers used art and architecture to connect themselves to Iranian cultural traditions. For example, this jar has four distinct bands carved into the fritware adorned with images that had been used in Iranian art for centuries: serenading musicians, polo players, animals in a garden, and dancers. The large size of this jar and the copious amounts of cobalt blue glaze needed to produce it suggest that the jar belonged to a wealthy family.

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