Bowl with Musicians

Unknown

mid-13th century · Stonepaste; luster-painted on opaque monochrome glaze · Islamic Art

With the emergence of the so‑called Kashan style, Iranian lusterware truly comes into its own. On this bowl, the richly patterned figures of two musicians at the center blend with their densely ornamented background. Four calligraphic bands, one of interlaced and foliated kufic and three in naskh script, contain benedictory phrases in Arabic, quatrains extracted from the works of four different Persian poets, and a poem attributed to the famous mystical poet 'Abd al- Majd Majdud Sana'i (d. 1130).

Artist

Unknown

Date

mid-13th century

Medium

Stonepaste; luster-painted on opaque monochrome glaze

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Fletcher Fund, 1932