A Large and Rare Abbasid Pottery Dish, Persia or Mesopotamia, 10th Century

of shallow form with flattened rim, covered in an opacified tin glaze and decorated in the glaze in cobalt blue with three lines of kufic and a further kufic inscription to the rim

Broken and reconstructed from fragments, near complete, some touching in along breaks and rim edges, overall fair condition, 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."

inscriptions
In the centre, repetition of:

baraka li-sahibihi 

'Blessing to its owner'

On the rim: A suggested reading:  

ma 'umila kull haniyy mar[iy ?....]

'What is made, eat wholesomely ...'

A related dish bearing a kufic inscription in copper green was sold in these rooms, 24 October 2007, lot 55, and belongs to a group of dishes, examples of which have been found at sites as divergent as Fustat in Egypt and Rayy in Iran. The use of cobalt blue in the present example bears comparison to the fine tin-glazed wares of southern Mesopotamia. The dish shape with shallow centre and slightly flaring walls suggests a metal prototype and is found in other ceramic wares of the Abbasid period (see Soustiel 1985, fig. 25, p.47) (Watson 2004, p.179).