Footed bowl with cover

Object Details

• Description

  Footed bowl (a) with cover (b), gilding with red outlines and richly enamelled with red, blue, green, white and yellow colors forming floral and animal designs, much of it in Chinese style.

• Label

  This footed bowl exemplifies the high quality of glass ware produced in Syrian workshops during the Mamluk period. Like the other large pieces exhibited here, it is quite heavy and has a thick foot and walls. Yet, for all its solidity, the piece was fashioned of glass and is, therefore, extremely fragile. Although many vessels of this shape were undoubtedly made during the 14th century, the Freer piece is only one of two such examples which have survived with both the bowl and the matching lid still intact.

  In addition to its fine state of preservation, the covered bowl is noteworthy for the colorful designs covering its entire surface. The decorative program consists primarily of real and fantastic animals, represented both individually, such as the Phoenix in three separate large medallions, and in pairs, such as the hawk attacking another bird in the small medallions. The theme of combat is also repeated in two different friezes--one on the bowl's central zone and the other on the cover--where wolves, hares, lions, stags, winged griffons, sphinxes, and winged unicorns race around in eternal pursuit of one another.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Engaging the Senses (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

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

  Ancient Glass (May 26, 1982 to June 25, 1982)

  Art of the Mamluks (May 14, 1981 to May 25, 1982)

  Art of the Arab World (August 15, 1980 to May 13, 1981)

  Art of the Arab World (May 8, 1975 to August 20, 1977)

  Near Eastern Art (June 15, 1973 to May 7, 1975)

  Glass Exhibition, in honor of VI International Congress on Glass (July 4, 1962 to December 3, 1962)

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

• Origin

  Syria

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• On View

  Freer Gallery 03: Engaging the Senses

• 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.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1300s

• Topic

  Gilding, Art, Mamluk period (1250 - 1517), Unicorn, Eagles, Flowers, Roman Period (30 BCE - 395 CE), Glassblowing, Arts of the Islamic World, Phoenix, Griffin, Enamel and enameling, Blow molding

• Culture

  Muslims, Syrians

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)

• On View

  Yes