Bowl with Arabic Inscription

Unknown

10th century · Earthenware; white slip with black-slip decoration under transparent glaze · Islamic Art

The calligraphic decoration on this bowl reads "Planning before work protects you from regret; prosperity and peace," but the shortening, bending, and elongation of the letters has transformed the words into abstract motifs of tremendous power. With its monumental presence and the artful arrangement of its letters, in which vertical flourishes punctuate the horizontal flow of the words at rhythmic intervals, this bowl stands out among the many other inscribed ceramics of the same period.

Artist

Unknown

Date

10th century

Medium

Earthenware; white slip with black-slip decoration under transparent glaze

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1965