Fragmentary earthenware bowl, painted in lustre over an opaque, white glaze

Birds were a favorite motif for Fatimid lustreware. The partly reconstructed bowl shows two symmetrical birds in the center, while fowl with large head crests – a motif that goes back to pre-Islamic times – are found in the tendrils.

This bowl is painted in a style, where the birds and the foliage appear as large silhouettes without decoration. The painter placed his signature along the rim on the right: “muslim.” This signature is also found on other Fatimid lustreware.