A fine lustre dish with stylised vegetal and scroll decoration, Persia, Early 13th Century

of shallow rounded form with everted edges on a short foot, composed of fritware painted in lustre and cobalt blue over an opaque white glaze, decorated with stylised palmettes to the centre surrounded by a band of Persian calligraphy written in reserve against a lustre ground and radiating eight Arabic and Persian calligraphic bands with palmette designs in between, the rim with a band of Arabic and Persian calligraphy reserved against lustre above another band of Arabic and Persian calligraphy written in lustre, the exterior with large roundels

ex-Heidi Vollmoeller Collection, Switzerland

Perpetual Glory. Medieval Islamic Ceramics From The Harvey B. Plotnick Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, 2007.

O. Pancaroglu, Perpetual Glory. Medieval Islamic Ceramics From The Harvey B. Plotnick Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, 2007, pp.118-119, no.76.

In overall good condition, once broken and restored with associated overpainting, some light scratches to surface and small areas of pitting consistent with firing, lustre bright, 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

Around the rim, reserved against lustre:
Two Persian quatrains, one Arabic couplet and one benedictory Persian couplet:

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.’
The same couplet on two tiles sold at Christie’s, London, April 2002, lots 71 & 73, one dated Rabi’ I, 689 (March-April 1290).
Attributed to Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi (kulliyyat-e shams, edited by B. Foruzanfar, vol. 4, Teheran, 1342 sh. p. 239, quatrain no, 1422).

dani keh cherast ey pasandideh-ye man
por ashk do dideh-ye setam-dideh-ye man?
mi be-goshayad ze arezu-ye lab-e to
ab az dahan-e mardomak-e dideh-ye man 

‘Do you know, O my admired one, why
My two oppressed eyes are full of tears?
My eyes draw from the desire of your lips,
Water from the mouth of my pupils.’ 

al-durr tajalli [fi] zaman al-wardi
wa al-bulbul qala ‘an lisan al-wardi

‘A pearl shines at the time when there is a red rose
And the nightingale said in the tongue of the red rose’

negah-dar bada jahan afarin
be-har ja keh bashad khodavand-e in
ta jahan bashad

‘May the Creator of the world protect
The owner of this [bowl] wherever he may be.
As long as the world is’

Around the body in lustre, three Persian quatrains and a benedictory Persian couplet:

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.’

goftam keh neqab az qamarat bar giram
gazi ze lab-e chun shekarat bar giram
gofta li cho sham’ qisseh ra gaz koni
bichareh natarsi keh sarat bar giram

‘I wished to take the veil from your moonlike face;
I wished to have a bite of those lips, sweet as sugar,
She said, why talk of pincers, you who burn like a candle [in my love],
Are you not afraid, O poor one that your head might be cut off in the attempt?’

ey ray-e to sal o mah azordan-e man
faregh ze man o shad be-gham khordan-e man
gofti nakonam ba to degar bad ahdi
in niz nakardan-e to bar garden-e man 

‘Oh you, whose will it is to hurt me for years and months,
Who are free from me and glad at my anguish,
You vowed [not to] break your promise again,
It is I who has caused this breach.’ 

negah-dar bada jahan afarin
be-har ja keh bashad khodavand-e in
‘amalahu ‘ah (?)

‘May the Creator of the world protect
The owner of this [bowl] wherever he may be.
‘Ah (?) made it’ 

In the radiating bands, an Arabic couplet, and two different Persian benedictory couplets:

ta’allam qawam al-khatt ya dha’l-ta’addib
fa-ma al-khatt illa zinat al-muta’ddib

‘Learn the art of writing, O you of good breeding,
For writing is an adornment of the well-bred’
Attributed to Imam ‘Ali. (Qadi Mir Ahmad Monshi Qomi, golistan-e honar, edited by A. Soheyli, Teheran, 1352, p. 10)

negah-dar bada jahan afarin
be-har ja ki bashad khodavand-e in 

‘May the Creator of the World protect
The owner of this [bowl] wherever he may be’

‘izz iqbal mehtari o sorur
az khodavand-e in mabada dur 

‘Glory and Prosperity and Superiority and Joy
May they not be far from the owner of this [bowl]’

negah-dar bada jahan afarin
be-har ja keh bashad khodavand-e in

‘May the Creator of the world protect
The owner of this [bowl] wherever he may be.’

Around the inner base:

ey del ze tarab hich neshan mi-bini?
vaz dide be-juz gohar feshan mi-bini?
dar arezuy-e dami khosham ta key ziam
mardom hame anand ke to shan mi-bini

‘O, heart! Do you see any sign of joy?
And do you see anything fall from the eyes but pearls?
I am happy in the hope of you for as long as I live
People are all as you see them’

negah-dar bada jahan afarin
be-har ja ki bashad khodavand-e in

‘May the Creator of the World protect
The owner of this [bowl] wherever he may be’

It is interesting to note that the inscriptions on this superb dish are written in both Arabic and Persian, attesting to the bi-lingualism and multi-culturalism of both the creators and patrons of such ceramic wares.

The inscriptions on this dish combine verses that are attributable to important figures from different backgrounds and faith. These include ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib, the fourth caliph of Islam and first Imam of the Shia tradition, Jalāl al-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, the famous poet and Sufi mystic, and Majd al-Dīn Baghdādī, also a Sufi mystic.