- 131
A monumental bichrome calligraphic pottery bowl, Nishapur or Samarqand, 10th Century
Estimate
100,000 - 150,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- ceramic
the earthenware body of truncated conical form with straight flaring sides on a thin base, painted in black and red slip on a white slip ground under a transparent glaze, featuring two radial calligraphic inscriptions in the cavetto below the rim
Condition
Once broken (consistent with age) and restored with associated overpainting, break lines visible, including very minor parts with some infill, 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
fa-asabahu baras fa-la yalumann illa nafsahu man bata
'So he will be hit by leprosy and he does not have any one to blame except himself the one who spent the night (?) who did it at night? comes back?'
Notable for its monumental size and the painterly quality of its calligraphy, this dish can be associated with wares from Nishapur and Afrasiyab (old Samarqand), two renowned centres of production of fine slip-painted wares during the tenth and eleventh centuries. These early ceramics, decorated in thick coloured slips have been highly praised by scholars. Oliver Watson describes them as “astonishing […] the telling use of empty space, and the subtlety of the rhythm and weight of the calligraphy put them, in spite of their humble materials, into an artistic class higher than any ceramic so far discussed” (Watson 2005, p.205).
The calligraphic decoration on the present bowl can be compared to that on a large bowl now in the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait (inv. no. LNS 123 C), attributed to Nishapur or Samarqand, tenth century, that was also designed with an elegant Kufic line around the rim, painted in black with interspersed red letters (illustrated in Watson 2005, pp.206-207).
This dish recalls Arthur Lane’s observation: “Their beauty is of the highest intellectual order; they hold the essence of Islam undiluted” (Lane 1947, p.18).
This lot is accompanied by a thermoluminescence analysis report confirming a circa 10th century date of manufacture.
fa-asabahu baras fa-la yalumann illa nafsahu man bata
'So he will be hit by leprosy and he does not have any one to blame except himself the one who spent the night (?) who did it at night? comes back?'
Notable for its monumental size and the painterly quality of its calligraphy, this dish can be associated with wares from Nishapur and Afrasiyab (old Samarqand), two renowned centres of production of fine slip-painted wares during the tenth and eleventh centuries. These early ceramics, decorated in thick coloured slips have been highly praised by scholars. Oliver Watson describes them as “astonishing […] the telling use of empty space, and the subtlety of the rhythm and weight of the calligraphy put them, in spite of their humble materials, into an artistic class higher than any ceramic so far discussed” (Watson 2005, p.205).
The calligraphic decoration on the present bowl can be compared to that on a large bowl now in the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait (inv. no. LNS 123 C), attributed to Nishapur or Samarqand, tenth century, that was also designed with an elegant Kufic line around the rim, painted in black with interspersed red letters (illustrated in Watson 2005, pp.206-207).
This dish recalls Arthur Lane’s observation: “Their beauty is of the highest intellectual order; they hold the essence of Islam undiluted” (Lane 1947, p.18).
This lot is accompanied by a thermoluminescence analysis report confirming a circa 10th century date of manufacture.