A rare Nishapur slip-painted bowl, Central Asia, 8th/9th century

of shallow rounded form with everted rim on a short foot, painted in ochre slip on cream slip ground, outlines in brown, with central palmette and instrument motifs, the cavetto with kufic inscription, the reverse with four rings and a splashed decorative pattern throughout

Losses and nibbles along the rim and base with associated restoration. Significant cracks with associated restoration. Light abrasions and losses to glazed surface throughout with associated restoration. Minor chips and paint loss to the base. 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

al-'ilm ashraf al-a[hsab wa al-muru]wa ashbak [al-ansab]

'Knowledge is the most noble of [all] values and chivalry the most intricate quality of one's heritage'.

This unusual pottery dish is likely to have been produced in Nishapur and bears a particularly rare and fascinating painted design that closely resembles the Chinese sheng, a mouth-blown free reed instrument consisting essentially of vertical pipes (see J.A. Van Aalst, Chinese Music, New York, 1964, p.81 for an illustration).  This instrument (or at least a variant of it) was in use across Central Asia as well as China and it can be found as part of the decoration engraved on a 9th-century silver ewer discovered in Central Asia (illustrated in V.P. Darkevich, Decorative Metal of the East, 8th-13th centuries, Academy of Sciences Archaeological Institute, Moscow, 1976, p.77 & pl.7).  The sheng is also known to have been used by the Uighurs of Xinjiang, a Turkic-speaking people whose Empire, at its height in A.D 800, stretched all the way to Persia, then under Abbasid rule.