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Collections

Bowlsecond quarter of 11th century

Not on view
Metal bowl seen from above, tarnished bronze-brown with engraved central medallion of a winged creature and a continuous inscription band near the rim with traces of blue-gray inlay
Engraved metal bowl viewed from above, with a central medallion depicting a quadruped animal in profile, surrounded by a wide border of Arabic script inscription, patinated silver-toned surface with age-worn oxidation.
Engraved metal dish with shallow, wide form, photographed against black background. Central medallion contains a figural motif, surrounded by concentric bands with Arabic script inscription along the rim and geometric border decoration. Silver-toned surface shows age patina.
Silver metal surface with an engraved circular medallion depicting a radiant sun motif: a stylized face at center surrounded by alternating pointed rays and scroll ornaments within a circular border.
Painted decoration on a stone or plaster surface, circular solar motif in black on pale gray ground, with a frontal human face at center encircled by radiating pointed rays with scrollwork details and an outer ring.
Detail of a large silver vessel's curved rim, decorated with an engraved and niello-filled frieze of hunting scenes featuring mounted figures, running animals, and interlaced foliate scrolls against a worn, patinated surface.
Partial view of a large silver vessel, showing a curved rim with an engraved frieze of running animals and scrolling vegetal interlace, with niello-filled incised lines darkened against the polished metal surface.
Silver metalwork vessel interior, viewed from above, with a central roundel engraved with a winged quadruped figure decorated with scrolling arabesques; worn patinated surface with faint border patterns at the rim.
Title
Bowl
Place Made
Iran, Gurgan
Date Made
second quarter of 11th century
Medium
Silver, engraved
Dimensions
1 1/4 x 5 3/4 in. (3 x 14.2 cm)
Credit Line
The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, gift of Joan Palevsky
Accession Number
M.73.5.149
Classification
Metal
Collecting Area
Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes

Although luxury objects from the medieval Islamic world are often assumed to have been made for a royal patron, only a small fraction can be definitively associated with a particular sponsor. This silver bowl, engraved with a sphinxlike creature, is therefore of great importance, since the inscription around its inner rim identifies its patron as the mother of the ruler of Gurgan, a province in the Caspian region of Iran, in the 1030s and early 1040s. This bowl reminds us that royal and elite women were important patrons of art and architecture throughout Islamic history.

The inscription reads, "Glory and fortune and long life and confirmation and stability and assistance from God and power to the noble lady Queen of Earth, mother of Sharaf al-Ma'ali, may God prolong her existence."

Selected Bibliography
  • Blair, Sheila S. Text and Image in Medieval Persian Art. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2014.
  • Komaroff, Linda. Gifts of the Sultan: the Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2011.

  • 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.

  • Pal, Pratapaditya, Thomas W. Lentz, Sheila R. Canby, Edwin Binney, 3rd, Walter B. Denny, and Stephen Markel. "Arts from Islamic Cultures: Los Angeles County Museum of Art." Arts of Asia 17, no. 6 (November/December 1987): 73-130.