Name of Object:

Bowl with lovers in conversation

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 6th–7th centuries / AD 12th–13th centuries

Museum Inventory Number:

177

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Metallic lustre-painted ceramic.

Dimensions:

Diameter 19.6 cm

Period / Dynasty:

Seljuq

Provenance:

Kashan, Iran.

Description:

This piece is decorated by a pair of seated lovers in conversation on a background closely filled with palmette spirals, as was common in Kashan lustre-ware.
An inscription runs along the outer edge of the bowl, almost certainly a good omen, that is unfortunately difficult to read as a result of the current state of preservation.

View Short Description

Bowl decorated with two figures in conversation. The decoration on this example from Kashan is typical of production from the early AH 6th / AD 12th century.

How Object was obtained:

Is.IAO deposit.

How provenance was established:

The inside of the bowl shows the typical dense decoration common to Kashan products at the beginning of the 6th / 12th century.

Selected bibliography:

Fèhervari, G., La Ceramica Islamica, Milan, 1985.
Grube, E.J., Cobalt and Lustre. The First Centuries of Islamic Pottery. The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, Vol. IX, London, 1994.
Lane, A., Early Islamic Pottery, London, 1953.
Philon, H., Early Islamic Ceramics, London, 1980.
Torre, P., Le Mille e una Notte: Ceramiche Persiane, Turche e Ispano-Moresche, Faenza, 1990.

Citation of this web page:

Paola Torre "Bowl with lovers in conversation" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;it;Mus01;28;en

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


MWNF Working Number: IT 37