Name of Object:Bowl Location:Damascus, Syria Holding Museum:National Museum of Damascus About National Museum of Damascus, Damascus Date of Object:Hegira 5th–6th century / AD 11th–12th century Museum Inventory Number:ع 14294 Material(s) / Technique(s):Earthenware with tin-glazed metallic lustre. Dimensions:Height 6 cm, width 15 cm Period / Dynasty:Atabeg or Ayyubid Provenance:Probably Syria; Jazira or Raqqa region. Description:This little bowl is an example of fine Syrian lustre-ware pottery of the Atabeg period. It has a conical body with a carinated base and a columnar foot. The inner part of the vessel is decorated with a drawing of a bird that resembles a spotted dove. A stylised branch carefully fills the space surrounding the bird. The rim of the bowl is lavishly decorated with a repeating pattern of curling leaves with lobed edges. Meanwhile, the outside of the bowl is inscribed with an Arabic text in naskhi script that may be translated as follows: “Money, happiness, peace, honour, prosperity, and sovereignty.” All the decoration is executed in a honey-yellow metallic lustre on a pale ivory-coloured base. The fluidity of the vegetal scrolls around the rim, the realism of the bird portrait in the centre and the careful attention to artistic detail indicate the high-level workmanship of this piece. View Short DescriptionLustre-painted pottery was a highly valued luxury product. This bowl decorated with a central bird portrait and a sequence of elaborately curling leaves along the rim is painted with careful attention to detail and harmony. Blessings to the owner are inscribed on the bowl's exterior. How date and origin were established:Many similar pieces of lustre-ware have been attributed to the 5th / 11th and 6th / 12th centuries. How Object was obtained:Purchased in 1960. How provenance was established:While lustre-painted pottery of this quality has also been found in Fatimid Egypt, the carinated shape of this bowl and the use of cursive naskhi script supports the attribution to the Eastern lands of Atabeg-ruled Raqqa and Jazira. There were other contemporaneous production centres in Syria and elsewhere, thus it is not possible to establish the provenance definitively. Selected bibliography:Abu al-Faraj al-Ush, M., A Concise Guide to the National Museum of Damascus, Damascus, 1969, p.232. Citation of this web page:Mona al-Moadin "Bowl" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;sy;Mus01;24;en Prepared by: Mona Al-Moadin
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