- Title
- Bowl with Four Phoenixes
- Date Made
- 14th century
- Medium
- Fritware, green-gray slip, underglaze-painted
- Dimensions
- 8 1/2 x 4 in. (21.5 x 10.2 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.73.5.215
- Collecting Area
- Art of the Middle East: Islamic
- Curatorial Notes
The Mongol invasions of Iran, beginning in 1220, and the subsequent period of Ilkhanid rule by the descendants of Genghis Khan (1256–1353) had an important impact on the technique and decoration of Persian pottery, as is demonstrated by this vessel. Such underglaze-painted bowls, which are often designated as Sultanabad wares after the western Iranian city where a number of these objects were discovered (although there is no proof that any of them were actually made there), perhaps most clearly reflect the impact of the new aesthetic. The hemispheric shape, exterior decoration of radiating petal-like designs, and subdued gray-green color scheme suggest that this pottery was inspired by imported Chinese celadon; the phoenix motif, in which the mythical birds are depicted in groups of two or more, may also represent a Chinese import.
