From the six-petaled ornament at the center of this bowl radiates an exquisite maze of arabesques and interlaced lines reminiscent of the plaited ascending letters in some Kufic inscriptions. Blue, black, light turquoise, and brownish red are painted over the opaque white glaze. The exterior bears a scrawled cursive pseudo-inscription. There are several cracks and repairs.
Date
late 12th-early 13th century
Classification
Vessels
Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art
Object Number
2002.50.114
Medium
Fritware painted with black (chromium), blue (cobalt), turquoise (copper), and brownish-red (iron) over white lead alkali glaze opacified with tin.
Technique
Mina’i
Dimensions
8.5 x 22.1 cm (3 3/8 x 8 11/16 in.)
Provenance
[Mansour Gallery, London, 1972], sold; to Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood, Belmont, MA (1972-2002), gift; to Harvard Art Museums 2002.