- 159
A Kashan lustre Dish with a gazelle and inscriptions, Persia, Circa 1220
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Fritware
of truncated conical form on a tall foot, painted with a golden lustre and cobalt blue highlights over an opaque white glaze, featuring a gazelle walking through a vegetal decor, surrounded by a wide band with a Persian inscription separated by four stylised petals, an inscription around the inner rim reserved in lustre, the exterior with a large band of Kufic lettering
Condition
In good condition, intact, glaze uneven in some areas consistent with orginal firing, 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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
inscriptions
Around the rim, reserved against lustre:
hamvareh to-ra dawlat o ‘izz afzun bad
eqbal-e to bogzashteh ze hadd birun bad
ta harcheh azin kaseh be-kam-e to rasad
ey sadr-e jahan to-ra be-jan afz[un bad]
‘May your wealth and glory be always increasing,
May your prosperity surpass all limits,
So that whatever reaches your palate from this bowl,
O master of the world, adds to your life’
dar ‘alam-e eshq gham ze shadi kam nist
shadan nabovad an-ke be-gham khorram nist
har chand derazast biyaban-e bala
didim be-pa-ye ‘eshq gami ham nist
‘In the realm of love, grief is no less than happiness
He who is not happy with grief, would not be happy
However long the desert of affliction is
We have seen that there in no step to put forth in love.’
Around the wall in lustre:
ey gorosneh-ye mehr-e to siran-e jahan
tarsan ze faraq-e to daliran-e jahan
ba chashm-e to ahuan che darand be-dast
ey zolf-e to pay-band-e shiran-e jahan
‘O you, for whose love the sated ones of the world are hungry,
Fearful of your separation are the fearless ones of the world,
What have the gazelles to boast of, while you have such eyes,
O you, whose ringlets tie the legs of the lions of the world.’
negah kardan andar hameh karha
beh az dorr o gawhar be-kharvarha
‘izz [wa] iqbal
‘To consider all affairs,
Is better than loads of pearls and gems.
Glory [and] prosperity'
Outer wall, in Kufic: repeat of a few benedictory words such as: al-baqa ‘Long-life’ and al-nasr ‘Victory’ (not every word can be deciphered)
A remarkably similar bowl featuring a delicately silhouetted gazelle with long, curvilinear legs walking through a rich vegetal background is in the Victoria and Albert Museum (Inv. no. C.162-1977). They also both share a similar decorative scheme that includes two bands containing inscriptions, one with a lustre inscription separated by four stylised petals and another near the rim with the inscription written in reserve against a lustre ground. The bowl in the Victoria and Albert Museum is signed Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Al-Nishapuri. Such a striking similarity can help us to infer that these were possibly made from the same workshop. Another similar bowl that possibly originated from the same workshop is in the David Collection, Copenhagen, inv. no Isl.64 (von Folsach 2001, p.149, no.156). In the David Collection bowl, a gazelle is followed by another which only half appears from the inner rim creating a narrative of which we only catch a glimpse, and that is possibly explained in the accompanying inscriptions on the bowl.
Poetry was a source of inspiration for Kashan potters, and by combining verses with illustrations alluding to these poems, bowls such as the present example represent both a written and visual idea. The gazelle particularly features on such poems and ceramic wares as a metaphor for elusive beauty.
Around the rim, reserved against lustre:
hamvareh to-ra dawlat o ‘izz afzun bad
eqbal-e to bogzashteh ze hadd birun bad
ta harcheh azin kaseh be-kam-e to rasad
ey sadr-e jahan to-ra be-jan afz[un bad]
‘May your wealth and glory be always increasing,
May your prosperity surpass all limits,
So that whatever reaches your palate from this bowl,
O master of the world, adds to your life’
dar ‘alam-e eshq gham ze shadi kam nist
shadan nabovad an-ke be-gham khorram nist
har chand derazast biyaban-e bala
didim be-pa-ye ‘eshq gami ham nist
‘In the realm of love, grief is no less than happiness
He who is not happy with grief, would not be happy
However long the desert of affliction is
We have seen that there in no step to put forth in love.’
Around the wall in lustre:
ey gorosneh-ye mehr-e to siran-e jahan
tarsan ze faraq-e to daliran-e jahan
ba chashm-e to ahuan che darand be-dast
ey zolf-e to pay-band-e shiran-e jahan
‘O you, for whose love the sated ones of the world are hungry,
Fearful of your separation are the fearless ones of the world,
What have the gazelles to boast of, while you have such eyes,
O you, whose ringlets tie the legs of the lions of the world.’
negah kardan andar hameh karha
beh az dorr o gawhar be-kharvarha
‘izz [wa] iqbal
‘To consider all affairs,
Is better than loads of pearls and gems.
Glory [and] prosperity'
Outer wall, in Kufic: repeat of a few benedictory words such as: al-baqa ‘Long-life’ and al-nasr ‘Victory’ (not every word can be deciphered)
A remarkably similar bowl featuring a delicately silhouetted gazelle with long, curvilinear legs walking through a rich vegetal background is in the Victoria and Albert Museum (Inv. no. C.162-1977). They also both share a similar decorative scheme that includes two bands containing inscriptions, one with a lustre inscription separated by four stylised petals and another near the rim with the inscription written in reserve against a lustre ground. The bowl in the Victoria and Albert Museum is signed Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Al-Nishapuri. Such a striking similarity can help us to infer that these were possibly made from the same workshop. Another similar bowl that possibly originated from the same workshop is in the David Collection, Copenhagen, inv. no Isl.64 (von Folsach 2001, p.149, no.156). In the David Collection bowl, a gazelle is followed by another which only half appears from the inner rim creating a narrative of which we only catch a glimpse, and that is possibly explained in the accompanying inscriptions on the bowl.
Poetry was a source of inspiration for Kashan potters, and by combining verses with illustrations alluding to these poems, bowls such as the present example represent both a written and visual idea. The gazelle particularly features on such poems and ceramic wares as a metaphor for elusive beauty.