A Rare Umayyad or Early Abbasid Relief-Moulded Pottery Vessel, Persia or Near East, 7th-9th Century

of compressed hemispherical form with inturned rim and flattened base, a small protruding nodular handle below the rim, the walls moulded on the exterior with a frieze of reciprocal palmettes enclosing stylised cusped leaves with rosette centres, the underside with radial lancet-form leaves conjoined with small medallions

Fragmentary with some missing sections filled in with plaster, replacement parts clearly visible on the exterior, as viewed
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A rare example of relief-moulded pottery from the early Islamic period.

The moulded decoration in relief relates to a group of pottery dishes with raised designs classified by Lane and others as "lead-glazed relief-ware", Mesopotamia, ninth century (Lane 1947, p.12, plate 5B). The Mesopotamian group is noted for its lustrous sheen. The glaze on the present piece has a distinct olive tone masking a buff-coloured body. Wares of related design and technique have been found at Susa, as well as fragments recovered from the industrial quarter at Fustat in Egypt (Lane, op. cit., plates 4 and 5) suggesting that relief-moulded wares were probably manufactured at a number of different centres. A group of comparable wares is in the Keir Collection (Grube 1976, nos.2-5, p.31).  

Whilst the exact place of production remains unclear, a date around the 8th-10th century can be posited with confidence based on analogues in fashionable Tang lead-glazed relief-wares which were traded along the Silk Road at this time and were clearly a contributing factor in reinforcing the vogue for relief-moulded wares in Islamic lands. Compare for instance a sancai-ware box published in Seiichi, Mizuno, Toji Taikei no. 35: To Sansai, Heiboncha, Tokyo, 1977, pl.25.

This lot is sold with a thermoluminescence test giving a date of last firing in the seventh to ninth century.