Bowl with Bird

Bowl

Islamic artifact. Classical bowl with a conical course and a small formed standfoot. Inside a stylized bird rounded elements with brown/black contours and mustard-yellow nuances. Outside beige. 

Object ID
Persia_010

Age
10th – 11th century AD

Material
Ceramics

Color
beige / brown / yellow

Diameter
6.5 cm

Height
7 cm

Condition
Very good

Price
on request

Description

Islamic artifact. Probably found in Nishapur. Classical bowl with a conical course and a small formed standfoot. It is inside filled with a stylized bird. The contours are black-brown with fill colors in mustard-yellow nuances. Outside the bowl is beige. The bird fills the main part of the surface. Its head and the tail feathers have more intensive colors, the body is like an elongated curved oval and a little darker. A collar builds the decoration around the long neck, and the tail feathers are fanned out. The open space is filled with rounded elements containing different motifs, maybe a kind of „eyes“. In the abdominal area of the bird is also a rosette with a central dot and a circular dot decoration. The top edge is finished with dashes. In the Islamic culture the bird is a symbol for the soul, and its astrological meaning [1] is focused very often. It is also considered as an all-seeing being. (HV)

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[1] Fontana, Maria Vittoria (2003): Frühislamische Kunst. In: Seipel, Wilfried (Hg.): 7000 Jahre persische Kunst. Meisterwerke aus dem Iranischen Nationalmuseum in Teheran. Antikenmuseum Basel/ Sammlung Ludwig GmbH Bonn/ Skira editore Milano/ Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. 318, 321 und Abb. 175