Bowl with Enthroned Ruler and Courtiers
late 12th-early 13th century
Description
An enthroned ruler with attendants occupies the center of this bowl. Pairs of birds are positioned above and below the group. On the walls of the vessel, encircling the central scene, are seated figures, also in pairs (the single individual results from a modern repair with an alien sherd). The interior rim of the bowl is decorated with a repeating pseudo-inscription in Kufic script, and the plain white walls of the exterior with a cursive inscription, large portions of which are overpainted restoration. The bowl has been assembled from several fragments, with painted plaster used to fill in the losses.
Dimensions
8.2 x 19.1 cm (3 1/4 x 7 1/2 in.)
Provenance
[Hadji Baba Rabbi House of Antiquities, Teheran, 1974], sold; to Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood, Belmont, MA (1974-2002), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2002.
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