Bowl of red earthenware covered with a white slip on the inside and around the rim on the outside. Incised, by fine stylus, with a bird of prey; the inside partly covered with a slight greenish glaze. Said to be from a shipwreck. Byzantine, possibly Thessalonika, 12th century.

Byzantine bowl of engraved slipware. The sides of this bowl slope away from a raised foot and then turn upward to form a slightly curved vertical rim. The exterior of the bowl is unglazed, revealing a red pottery body. There are areas of darkened discolouration on the exterior, and some drops of slip and glaze have spilled over the outside of the rim. The interior has been covered in an off-white slip, and then a glaze with a slight green/yellow tint has been added. A fine tool, a stylus, has been used to incise a design through the white slip to expose the red surface of the clay. The motif engraved at the centre of the bowl is of a bird of prey flanked by two plant scrolls. The bird's head and feet point in opposite directions. It has a large hooked beak, plumage across its body and tail drawn in lines and dashes, and large feet.

Purchased from M. Yeganeth, Frankfurt.

This bowl is a secular object made for popular use, not for the court or the church. The object has been glazed on the inside to provide waterproofing for its use as a vessel for food. The evidence of shipwrecks shows that these dishes were sometimes exported and traded. In the museum registers it records that this example was said to have been found on a shipwreck in the Eastern Mediterranean. There is a large group of 12th century ceramics found in wrecks that were acquired by various collections at the same time the V&A acquired this piece. A further note in the registers states that in 1980 the museum was offered another similar dish with an engraved bird which they judged by deposits on the reverse to be from the same shipwreck as this example, and that this was said to be from a wreck off the coast of Izmir on the Turkish coast.

This type of ceramic is a reflection of Byzantine popular taste. It is a functional everyday vessel for food. This fine incised slipware was especially popular during the 12th century and was widely diffused. The vessel would have been shaped in wet clay first, left to dry and then a white slip added to the interior, by dipping or pouring. Then incisions were made through the wet slip to reveal the red body of the clay underneath. The striking effect achieved by the contrast of the red and white is the end result of refinements that had been made to this technique which had been used to decorate pottery from very early times. By the 12th century incised slipware was at its high-point.

The subjects depicted on this type of 12th century incised vessel often relate to the social status and wellbeing of their owner. Iconography of the hunt is common and signifies the power of the owner by associating them with this noble and imperial pastime. This bird of prey, flanked by branches, would have been immediately associated with hunting and was a common subject on this type of object.

This ceramic bowl is a functional everyday vessel used for serving or eating food and as such is a reflection of Byzantine popular taste. The shape imitates a metal form and it is a type of fine incised slipware, which was especially popular during the 12th century. The evidence found in shipwrecks has shown that these objects were exported and traded widely.

The design, here a bird of prey flanked by branches, was incised through a layer of white slip on the inside of the vessel to reveal the red pottery body beneath. It would have been immediately associated with hunting and was a common motif on this type of object. The subjects depicted often relate to the social status and wellbeing of their owner. Iconography of the hunt is common and signifies the power of the owner by associating them with this noble and imperial pastime.

C.32-1968