This footed bowl with finely flaring edges showcases the creamy white color of fritware under a transparent glaze. Its incised designs feature stylized palmettes formed around serrated leaves, allowing light to subtly penetrate the material to luminous effect. Together, these elements evoke the delicate nature of Chinese porcelain through locally sourced materials of the Middle East.

Consumers in the Islamic world had long admired imported Chinese porcelain for its light weight and translucent white color. Since the key ingredient of kaolin was unavailable in the Middle East, numerous attempts to imitate porcelain were made from earthenware coated with a white slip. These efforts resulted in heavier, less luminous vessels. Yet around the mid-eleventh century, fritware (a composite material mainly composed of finely ground quartz) emerged to replace earthenware and better capture the desired lightness of porcelain.

Likewise, the transparent glaze would have protected the flavors of foods from mingling with its material more effectively than metal alternatives. Aside from its primary function as dining ware, the bowl’s emulation of a coveted import from China, which only the wealthiest could afford for their tables, may have appealed to consumers as a marker of cosmopolitan tastes. Alternatively, some diners could select such a dish to avoid eating from vessels made of precious metals, in accordance with etiquette manuals of the period.