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Collections

Bowl10th century

On view:
Geffen Galleries, Islamic Art and Late Antiquity
Ceramic bowl with cream glaze, exterior decorated with alternating green, yellow, and wavy-line vertical stripes; interior painted with a stylized bird figure and branching plant forms
Ceramic bowl with cream ground, depicting a frontal standing figure in a chevron-patterned robe, painted in dark brown, yellow, and green glazes, surrounded by scrolling vegetal motifs and small floral sprigs.
Ceramic bowl viewed from above, decorated with a painted frontal figure in dark outline wearing a robe with herringbone pattern, surrounded by floral and scrolling motifs in yellow, green, and black on a cream ground.
Title
Bowl
Place Made
Iran, Nishapur
Date Made
10th century
Medium
Earthenware, buff slip, underglaze slip-painted
Dimensions
3 1/4 x 9 in. (8.26 x 22.86 cm)
Credit Line
The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, gift of Joan Palevsky
Accession Number
M.73.5.203
Classification
Ceramics
Collecting Area
Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes

Unlike the many early Islamic ceramics adorned with geometric and vegetal motifs, including several examples in this section, this tenth-century bowl from northeastern Iran features a boldly executed figural design. Displaying a flowering branch in one hand and a beaded drinking vessel in the other, the seated figure at the center of the design is flanked on either side by a bird, one of which is perched in the figure’s flowing tresses. Although the precise meaning of such imagery remains a mystery, it may be related to ancient Iranian feasts such as Nowruz (the New Year) or Mihragan (the Feast of the Harvest), which continued to be celebrated even after the advent of Islam.

Selected Bibliography

  • Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.