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Collections

Bowl12th century

Not on view
Ceramic dish with pale celadon glaze and olive-gold luster decoration, featuring four interlocking birds in a pinwheel arrangement surrounded by Arabic script, with a chevron border at the rim
Ceramic bowl with turquoise glaze and lusterpainted decoration; four birds with detailed feathering arranged radially around a central medallion, interspersed with Arabic script inscriptions; chevron border around the rim.
Title
Bowl
Place Made
Egypt
Date Made
12th century
Medium
Earthenware, overglaze luster-painted
Dimensions
Height: 2 9/16 in. (6.51 cm); Diameter: 6 13/16 in. (17.3 cm)
Credit Line
The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number
M.2002.1.35
Classification
Ceramics
Collecting Area
Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes

The art of luster-painted ceramics was likely introduced in Egypt at least by the early eleventh century under the Fatimid dynasty. Fatimid lusterware is typically decorated with figures, both human and animal, as can be seen in this bowl with four golden fish alternating with an inscription repeating the Arabic word for prosperity, on an opaque turquoise-glazed ground.

Selected Bibliography
  • Komaroff, Linda, editor. Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; New York: DelMonico Books, 2023.