Fritware bowl, painted in lustre over a turquoise, opaque glaze. Tell Minis type
Syria; c. 1150
H: 8; Diam: 22.5 cm
Inventory number 35/1997
The bowl is decorated with inscriptions in lustre. In the center is the word baraka (blessing). It is more difficult to decode the inscriptions along the rims, however, since the words do not comply fully with Arabic orthography.
This phenomenon is not unique to the bowl, and as is true of many other inscriptions on Islamic decorative art, the writing could be considered pseudo-calligraphy, a feature that has been explained in part by the artisans’ illiteracy.
This phenomenon is not unique to the bowl, and as is true of many other inscriptions on Islamic decorative art, the writing could be considered pseudo-calligraphy, a feature that has been explained in part by the artisans’ illiteracy.
Published in
Published in
Kjeld von Folsach: Art from the World of Islam in The David Collection, Copenhagen 2001, cat. 139;
(Mentioned in) Amy G. Poster: Journey through Asia: masterpieces in the Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York 2003, p. 220;
Alfried Wieczorek, Mamoun Fansa, Harald Meller (eds.): Saladin und die Kreuzfahrer, Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte, Halle, Mainz 2005, cat. B. 56, p. 362;
Joachim Meyer, Rasmus Bech Olsen and Peter Wandel: Beyond words: calligraphy from the World of Islam, The David Collection, Copenhagen 2024, fig. 38, pp. 58 and 60;
(Mentioned in) Amy G. Poster: Journey through Asia: masterpieces in the Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York 2003, p. 220;
Alfried Wieczorek, Mamoun Fansa, Harald Meller (eds.): Saladin und die Kreuzfahrer, Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte, Halle, Mainz 2005, cat. B. 56, p. 362;
Joachim Meyer, Rasmus Bech Olsen and Peter Wandel: Beyond words: calligraphy from the World of Islam, The David Collection, Copenhagen 2024, fig. 38, pp. 58 and 60;
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