Bowl thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Islamic Middle East, Room 42, The Jameel Gallery

Bowl

900-1000 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This bowl is an example of a distinctive ceramic tradition that developed in eastern Iran from the 10th century. Potters took inspiration from indigenous metalwork and applied the decoration in slip (liquid clay) of contrasting colours. These coloured slips were used to create bold designs based on plants, interlace and other patterns. The decoration was often of very high quality, like the varied motifs on this bowl.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Lead-glazed earthenware with slip decoration
Brief description
Bowl, black with white and pale brown decoration, Eastern Iran or Uzbekistan, 900-1000.
Physical description
Hemishperical bowl with shallow foot. Lip, external to rim of bowl. Black with decoration in white and pale brown. Exterior decorated with white diagonal lines in band just below rim, and exterior of lip decorated with scrolling white lines within border of white lines and dots. Interior of bowl decorated with a bisecting band of with zig-zag pattern, out of ends of which flare foliate shapes and paterae. Interior also decorated with band of geometic patterning opposite spout, and two paterae, one on either side of band.
Dimensions
  • With spout width: 22.2cm
  • Height: 9.8cm
Style
Gallery label
  • Jameel Gallery 14–15 Decorated Bowls Eastern Iran or Uzbekistan 900–1000 The potters of eastern Iran and Central Asia also used coloured slips to create bold designs based on plants, interlace and other patterns. In the smaller bowl, the crisp decoration was created by carving away a layer of black slip. The designs on the larger bowl were painted in slip. Earthenware with slip decoration under a transparent glaze Museum nos. C.104-1957; C.92-1969, Given by Lady Mallet (2006)
  • BOWL Lead-glazed earthenware with slip decoration. Said to have been found at Nishapur. EAST PERSIAN (probably NISHAPUR) ; 9th -10th century(Used until 11/2003)
Production
Said to have been found at Nishapur.
Subject depicted
Summary
This bowl is an example of a distinctive ceramic tradition that developed in eastern Iran from the 10th century. Potters took inspiration from indigenous metalwork and applied the decoration in slip (liquid clay) of contrasting colours. These coloured slips were used to create bold designs based on plants, interlace and other patterns. The decoration was often of very high quality, like the varied motifs on this bowl.
Collection
Accession number
C.104-1957

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Record createdMay 5, 2000
Record URL
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