Bowl

Object Details

• Patron

  Abu Nasr Kirmanshah

• Description

  Made for Amir Abu Nasr Kirmanshah

  Bowl: deep, with a foliated rim; high, hollow foot. Broken and repaired.

  Clay: soft, white.

  Glaze: cream-white.

  Decoration: painted over glaze in pale blue and green, with areas of tomato-red; linear details in black and gold. Inscriptions both inside and outside.

• Label

  This eight-lobed bowl harmoniously combines figural, abstract, and calligraphic designs and is typical of some of the finest medieval Persian ceramics. The bowl is decorated with enamel paint, and a princely figure on a large and powerful elephant dominates the center. A band of kufic inscription offering blessings and good wishes surrounds him. The exterior inscription celebrates the qualities of a certain Abu Nasr Kirmanshah, the patron of this finely decorated bowl.

• Provenance

  1927

  Parish-Watson Company, New York 1927 [1]

  From 1927

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Parish-Watson Company, New York in 1927 [2]

  Notes:

  [1] Object file, undated folder sheet note. Also see Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List file, Collections Management Office.

  [2] See note 1.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Facing East: Portraits from Asia (July 1 to September 4, 2006)

  Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016)

  Near Eastern Ceramics (May 10, 1985 to September 3, 1985)

  Near Eastern Ceramics (June 24, 1982 to September 23, 1982)

  Near Eastern Ceramics (May 14, 1981 to May 10, 1985)

  Art of the Near East (August 21, 1977 to December 14, 1979)

  Ceramics from the World of Islam (January 16, 1974 to July 1, 1974)

  Near Eastern Art—Paintings, Pottery (August 18, 1967 to February 10, 1972)

  Near Eastern Art (June 5, 1964 to August 18, 1967)

  Near Eastern Art (January 1, 1963 to August 18, 1967)

  Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 6 and 7 (February 25, 1956 to April 10, 1962)

  Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Manuscripts, Pottery, Metalwork, and Glass (April 12, 1955 to November 21, 1955)

  Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Arts, 1947 (October 6, 1947 to February 25, 1956)

  Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Ceramics and Glass (January 9, 1945 to May 1, 1945)

  Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Paintings (May 1, 1945 to September 25, 1947)

  Untitled Exhibition, Persian Paintings and Ceramics (May 5, 1933 to January 9, 1945)

  Untitled Exhibition, Shahnama and Chinese Art (March 24, 1930 to May 5, 1933)

  Near Eastern Pottery and Persian Painting (May 2, 1923 to March 14, 1931)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Parish-Watson Company

• Origin

  Iran

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1100s, 1200s

• Name

  Parish-Watson Company

• Topic

  Kufic script, Art, Animals, Arts of the Islamic World, Portraits, Stone-paste, Saljuq period (1037 - 1300), Ceramics, Elephants

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)