A large Nishapur calligraphic pottery dish, Eastern Persia or Samarqand, Central Asia, 10th century
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
earthenware of deep form with straight flaring walls, decorated in manganese black on a cream slip ground, the well with a central roundel enclosing a cruciform motif with attached split-palmette scrolls, the walls with a Kufic inscription between minor bands
13.4cm. height; 36cm. diam.
Sotheby's London, 24 October 2007, lot 76
inscriptions
'Generosity is a disposition of the dwellers/people of Paradise. Well-being’
This tenth-century Nishapur bowl demonstrates the refined artistry of early Central Asian Islamic ceramics. Its surface features crisp and elegant Kufic calligraphy. The slightly raised black slip adds subtle texture, while dense interlaced geometric and vegetal patterns provide contrast and visual interest. The graceful calligraphy and decoration of this dish reflects two important aspects of the arts of Central Asia in the tenth century: the importance of literary culture the development of artistic innovation. Bowls with similar slip-painted Kufic inscriptions are known from the same period, including a tenth‑century Nishapur bowl in the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto (Acc. No.AKM546), which bears the same inscription.
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