Bowl, fritware, painted in colour with representation of courtly entertainments; Iran (probably Kashan), 1180-1220.

Bowl with fritware body, overpainted with enamel. On interior, seven figures seated crosslegged around central enthroned figure. Exterior Kufic inscription.

Purchased with Art Fund support and the Byran Bequest

Morgan (1994) has divided mina'i wares into three categories: With relief decoration (non-figural), without relief decoration (non-figural), and without relief decoration (figural). This bowl belongs to type three. Minai wares share three characteristics; they are made with a white composite fabric, covered with an opaque white or occasionally opaque turquoise glaze which reaches the edge of the foot outside and is applied seperately in the vertical footring and thirdly the polychrome colours are applied over the glaze. The composition of this piece is quite typical, a series of figures seated around the central more important figure of a prince or ruler (for typical examples see Pope, Survey, 1939, pls 659a, 661, 663a, 668, 694a). Occasionally figures may appear in medallions (Khalili, 1994, vol. XI, pl 239).

The general repertory of mina'i seems to reflect the iconography of the princely life, the entertainments of the court, hunting, polo, and warfare. many are also inscribed with poetry but so far little is known about the patrons of such wares nor the context in which they were used. Mina'i tilework exists from the Seljuk palace of Kaykubad in Konya, Turkey as well as from Iran (Grube, 1976).

Kashan

The decoration on this bowl shows a young prince surrounded by companions. They play the lute, drink wine and sing or declaim poetry.

In many Islamic societies, scenes containing humans and animals were a common type of decoration in non-religious contexts. The source of this imagery was usually poetry, the most highly esteemed form of secular literature.

C.52-1952