Bowl with Green, Yellow, and Brown Splashed Decoration

Unknown

10th century · Earthenware; white slip, incised and splashed with polychrome glazes under transparent glaze (sgraffito ware) · Islamic Art

This bowl is an example of the splashware made throughout Iraq, Iran, and western Central Asia, a type possibly inspired by Tang Chinese wares that were mainly decorated in a combination of green, yellow, and brown glazes. The addition of geometric and floral patterns, scratched into the surface of the bowl before the glazes were applied, is uniquely Iranian, and the vigorous yet refined drawing of the foliate forms makes this one of the finest splashed sgraffito pieces excavated.

Artist

Unknown

Date

10th century

Medium

Earthenware; white slip, incised and splashed with polychrome glazes under transparent glaze (sgraffito ware)

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1938