Bowl
1200-1250 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The lustre decoration on this bowl portrays a harpy. These rapacious monsters, part human and part bird, featured in Greek and Roman mythology. This piece was found at Tell Minis, which has given its name to high-quality wares similar to earlier Egyptian pottery.
The technique of lustre decoration on ceramics was first developed in Iraq in the 9th century. Technical advances in lustre decoration made in Cairo were taken east to Syria in the 12th century.
Potters used the lustre technique to make their wares shine like gold. First they made a glazed vessel or tile with little or no decoration in the normal way. When the piece had cooled, a design was painted over the glaze in metallic compounds. The pot or tile was then fired again, this time with a restricted supply of oxygen. In these conditions, the metallic compounds broke down, and a thin deposit of copper or silver was left on the surface of the glaze. When polished, this surface layer reflected the light.
The technique of lustre decoration on ceramics was first developed in Iraq in the 9th century. Technical advances in lustre decoration made in Cairo were taken east to Syria in the 12th century.
Potters used the lustre technique to make their wares shine like gold. First they made a glazed vessel or tile with little or no decoration in the normal way. When the piece had cooled, a design was painted over the glaze in metallic compounds. The pot or tile was then fired again, this time with a restricted supply of oxygen. In these conditions, the metallic compounds broke down, and a thin deposit of copper or silver was left on the surface of the glaze. When polished, this surface layer reflected the light.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Earthenware with lustre painting on an opaque white glaze |
| Brief description | Lustre bowl with a harpy, made in Syria or Egypt, 1200-1250. |
| Physical description | White earthenware bowl painted in lustre with a harpy between two scrolls with very large leaves; the harpy wears a crown with two projections and her wing has a tiraz band with a pseudo-Kufic 'inscription' on it. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Production | Found at Tell Minis |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The lustre decoration on this bowl portrays a harpy. These rapacious monsters, part human and part bird, featured in Greek and Roman mythology. This piece was found at Tell Minis, which has given its name to high-quality wares similar to earlier Egyptian pottery. The technique of lustre decoration on ceramics was first developed in Iraq in the 9th century. Technical advances in lustre decoration made in Cairo were taken east to Syria in the 12th century. Potters used the lustre technique to make their wares shine like gold. First they made a glazed vessel or tile with little or no decoration in the normal way. When the piece had cooled, a design was painted over the glaze in metallic compounds. The pot or tile was then fired again, this time with a restricted supply of oxygen. In these conditions, the metallic compounds broke down, and a thin deposit of copper or silver was left on the surface of the glaze. When polished, this surface layer reflected the light. |
| Bibliographic reference | Louvre, L'Etrange et le Merveilleux en terres d'Islam. Catalogue of the Exhibition held at Musée du Louvre 23rd April - 23rd July, 2001. Paris: Editions de la Réunion des musée nationaux, 2001. ISBN 2-7118-4215-0.Cat. 105, p. 143 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.47-1960 |
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| Record created | November 7, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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