Slip Painted 'Sari' Bowl, 1000 CE - 1200 CE
Buff Earthenware
7.6 x 3
AMD.51
Of the later provincial pottery, Sari wares are probably the best known for their highly decorative quality and their likeable decoration. The name comes from a town in Northern Iran,...
Of the later provincial pottery, Sari wares are probably the best known for their highly decorative quality and their likeable decoration. The name comes from a town in Northern Iran, at the southern tip of the Caspian Sea, to which original finds were attributed. However those finds were not properly documented and therefore there is some contention around the true provenance of the manufacture. It is however quite widely agreed that this form of pottery was made in the Mazandaran region of Iran.
Typically these smaller and deeper bowls are made of red earthenware having straight steep flaring sides.
The bird is the center of attention and is outlined by a series of white marks. A sequence of multi-sized circles make up the characteristic so-called “lollipop” flowers. The bird and flowers are also characteristic of the classic Sari ware bowl which is derived from earlier traditions and basic techniques such as white dotting of elements in the design. Animal decorations on Iranian slipware are not as common as Basran or later Fatimid lustrewares. When however they are found they almost always have a strong calligraphic style and abstract characteristics. This dish for example shows a great degree of abstraction and stylistic detail.
Comparable objects exist in The Al-Sabah Collection at the Kuwait national Museum, The Khalili Collection in London and The Tareq Rajab Museum in Kuwait.
Typically these smaller and deeper bowls are made of red earthenware having straight steep flaring sides.
The bird is the center of attention and is outlined by a series of white marks. A sequence of multi-sized circles make up the characteristic so-called “lollipop” flowers. The bird and flowers are also characteristic of the classic Sari ware bowl which is derived from earlier traditions and basic techniques such as white dotting of elements in the design. Animal decorations on Iranian slipware are not as common as Basran or later Fatimid lustrewares. When however they are found they almost always have a strong calligraphic style and abstract characteristics. This dish for example shows a great degree of abstraction and stylistic detail.
Comparable objects exist in The Al-Sabah Collection at the Kuwait national Museum, The Khalili Collection in London and The Tareq Rajab Museum in Kuwait.