Name of Object:

Dish with imaginary animal

Location:

Rome, Italy

Holding Museum:

Museum of Civilisations | Museum of Oriental Art “Giuseppe Tucci”

 About Museum of Civilisations | Museum of Oriental Art “Giuseppe Tucci”, Rome

Date of Object:

Hegira 4th century / AD 10th century

Museum Inventory Number:

1975/ 2154

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Ceramic painted with metallic lustre.

Dimensions:

Height 6 cm, diameter 26.5 cm

Period / Dynasty:

Abbasid

Provenance:

Iraq.

Description:

The dish, with curved sides, an out-curving brim and a ring-base, is decorated with a large, winged, imaginary animal with a bird’s head. It is notable that the motif of the imaginary animal is extremely frequent in the different manifestations of Islamic art, being associated with magic and apotropaism.
A band adorned with peacock eyes runs along the length of the body, a motif that covers practically the entire surface of the huge wing, suggesting feathers. On the base there are small kufic inscriptions of the baraka (blessing) and lisahibihi ‘to the owner’) type. Large lance-shaped leaves masked from the unbroken lustre base decorate the brim of the dish. An inscription containing the word baraka can be read below the foot.

View Short Description

This plate, decorated with animal motifs and kufic inscriptions on the bottom, includes a type of inscription uncommon in this sort of object.

How date and origin were established:

The dish is an excellent example of Iraqi production of monochrome lusterware from the 4th / 10th century.

How Object was obtained:

Purchase.

Selected bibliography:

Lane, A., Early Islamic Pottery, London, 1953.
Philon, H., Early Islamic Ceramics, London, 1980.
Scerrato, U., “Ceramica Irachena del IX–X Secolo”, Serie Schede Museo Nazionale d’Arte Orientale 2, Rome, 1968.

Citation of this web page:

Paola Torre "Dish with imaginary animal" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;it;Mus01;21;en

Prepared by: Paola Torre
Copyedited by: Pier Paolo Racioppi
Translation by: Laurence Nunny
Translation copyedited by: Monica Allen


MWNF Working Number: IT 22