A Monumental Samanid Polychrome Pottery Bowl, Central Asia, 10th Century

of truncated conical form on a low foot, painted in manganese purple, reddish brown, salmon pink, olive green and white with a central interlace motif, the sides with monumental representations of fish, the interstices with black panels of red and white dotted motifs, a band of stylised kufic above, the exterior with simple triangles formed of diagonal olive green lines

In good condition, restoration with associated retouching, chips and losses to rim restored, surface wear and abrasion associated with age, as viewed.
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inscriptions
Repetition of the letter kaf.

A rare and important example of Samanid polychrome slip-painted pottery.

The polychrome slip-painted wares of Nishapur eschew the stark simplicity of the calligraphic dishes and opt instead for more textured and closely-packed compositions full of fantasy and humour, though the profiles and shapes of the pots remain much the same.

A number of scholars have attempted to interpret the iconography and narrative decoration of this group of bowls with references to literary sources. Dr. Johanna Zick-Nissen has suggested a connection between some of the figural compositions and the emerging tradition of astrological imagery, exemplified by the illustrated copy of al-Sufi's "Treatise on the Fixed Stars" in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, dated A.H. 400/A.D. 1009-1010. The aquatic decoration in this case would fit with this hypothesis, as the fish may well represent Pisces.

Dr. Teresa Firzherbert (unpublished MA Thesis, Bodleian Library, Oxford) argues that the fantastical array of figures and beasts is linked to ancient customs and traditions, as well as local myths and cults that survived into the Islamic period. Cults, such as that of the ancient fertility goddess of streams (symbolised by fish) whose attributes include the peacock (indicated by the flamboyant tail). However in the absence of solid evidence in the form of written documentation from the period or other primary source material, the true identity of these mythical beings is destined to remain tantalisingly obscure.

A related dish is in the Aga Khan Museum Collection (see Spirit and Life. Masterpieces of Islamic Art from the Aga Khan Museum Collection, London, 2007, no.106, p.141).