VesselsPersian12th-13th century

Bowl with Radial Foliate Design

12th-13th century

Description

The interior of this bowl is divided into eight equal sections by lines, embellished with dots and twining tendrils, that spring from triangular arabesques and terminate with pairs of small, silhouetted birds toward the rim. Each section contains a palmette-filled pendant. Around the rim runs an angular pseudo-inscription. Paired lines divide the exterior of the bowl into sections, which are filled with loosely painted scrolls. The twining tendrils and the palmette-enclosing pendants on the interior of this bowl are very common in Persian lusterwares. The bowl is intact, and the quality of its luster is remarkable. The white glaze does not cover the foot, which the potter would have held when dipping the vessel into the glazing compound before firing.

Classification

Vessels

Technique

Lusterware

Medium

Fritware painted with luster (copper and silver) over white lead alkali glaze opacified with tin

Culture

Persian

Period

Seljuk-Atabeg period

Century

12th-13th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Islamic & Later Indian Art

Dimensions

9 x 21.7 cm (3 9/16 x 8 9/16 in.)

Provenance

[Hadji Baba Rabbi House of Antiquities, Teheran,1972], sold; to Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood, Belmont, Massachusetts, (1972-2002), gift; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2002.