Luster Bowl with Four Camels

Unknown

10th century · Earthenware; luster-painted on opaque white glaze · Islamic Art

Luster-painted bowls made in Abbasid Iraq often featured representations of birds, mythical beasts, human beings, and vegetal patterns. This example’s playful depiction of camels is a rare departure from the typical iconographic repertory. The medallion layout and the repeating design of the camels with palanquins on their backs lend a sense of dynamism to the piece, almost as if the artist wanted to show the beasts proceeding in a caravan.

Artist

Unknown

Date

10th century

Medium

Earthenware; luster-painted on opaque white glaze

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1964