Bowl

Design of two birds in dark brown slip on white, thin brown edge; solid foot with wide central raised disk. Broken and repaired; small pieces of glaze chipped off. The word arabic word for “blessing” is repeated on the body of each bird.

Historical period(s)
Samanid period, 10th century
Medium
Earthenware painted under glaze
Dimensions
H x W: 6.6 x 21.8 cm (2 5/8 x 8 9/16 in)
Geography
Iran or Uzbekistan
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1956.1
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Bowl

Keywords
bird, earthenware, Iran, Samanid period (819 - 1005), Uzbekistan, WWII-era provenance
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Design of two birds in dark brown slip on white, thin brown edge; solid foot with wide central raised disk. Broken and repaired; small pieces of glaze chipped off. The word arabic word for "blessing" is repeated on the body of each bird.

Label

The facing birds on this bowl--one of the most popular motifs on Persian ceramics of the ninth and tenth centuries--conceal the Arabic word "blessing" on their undersides. They can be regarded as the first zoomorphic inscriptions and indicate the secular use of these ceramic wares.

Published References
  • Oriental Ceramics: The World's Great Collections. 12 vols., Tokyo. vol. 10, pl. 265.
  • Robert J. Charleston. Islamic Pottery. Masterpieces of Western and Near Eastern Ceramics, vol. 4 Tokyo and New York. vol. 4.
  • Gian Guido Belloni, Liliana Fedi Dall'Asen. Iranian Art. New York. pl. 85.
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Exhibition of 2500 Years of Persian Art. Exh. cat. Washington, 1971. cat. 64.
  • Richard Ettinghausen. Medieval Near Eastern Ceramics in the Freer Gallery of Art. Washington and Baltimore. p. 12.
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Ceramics from the World of Islam. Exh. cat. Washington, 1973. cat. 9, pp. 30-31.
  • Gustave E. Von Grunebaum. Unity and Variety in Muslim Civilization. Comparative Studies of Cultures and Civilizations, no. 7 Chicago. p. 123, pl. 10a.
  • Richard Ettinghausen. Islamic Art and Archaeology: Collected Papers. Berlin. cat. 78, p. 363.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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