Bowl with Birds and Inscriptions
10th century
Description
A pair of inward-facing birds seeming to revolve counterclockwise occupies the walls in this bowl. Their wings are formed of split leaves articulated in reserve, and their tails recall the forked scarves (or tresses) of human figures on Samanid yellow-field wares. Each bird has the Arabic word for “blessing” (baraka) written in Kufic script across its body, and each holds in its beak a split leaf; one leaf is considerably blurred by the running of the black slip in the glaze. From the number of similar bowls that have survived, one can surmise that these motifs and their composition were highly favored in the early Islamic era. Overall, the bowl is sparsely decorated: the interior features only the birds, a black rim, and a pair of comma-like motifs in the center, and the outside is left entirely plain except for white slip and unevenly applied clear, greenish-tinged glaze. The slip and glaze only partially cover the beveled base. Sagger marks at the center, as well as the flow of the black pigment toward the rim, indicate that the bowl was fired upside down.
Dimensions
7.8 x 25 cm (3 1/16 x 9 13/16 in.)
Provenance
[Mansour Gallery, London, 1972], sold; to Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood, Belmont, MA (1972-2002), gift; to Harvard Art Museums 2002.
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10th century