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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2002.50.61
Title
Fragmentary Bowl with Inscription
Classification
Vessels
Work Type
vessel
Date
10th century
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Iran or Uzbekistan, Nishapur or Samarkand
Period
Samanid period
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/165392

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Reddish earthenware covered in white slip and painted with black (manganese and iron) under clear lead glaze
Technique
Underglazed, painted
Dimensions
11.4 x 32.8 cm (4 1/2 x 12 15/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
[Mansour Gallery, London, 1972], sold; to Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood, Belmont, MA (1972-2002), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2002.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art
Accession Year
2002
Object Number
2002.50.61
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description
The inscription painted around the rim of this fragmentary bowl has thus far defied reading. It is possible that the many sherds from which the bowl was reconstructed before Norma Jean Calderwood purchased it were positioned incorrectly. During its subsequent cleaning and reassembly, several “alien” sherds were removed and retained for study. In a few areas, the brownish-black slip has run slightly in the glaze towards the center of the bowl, which is decorated with a small revolving motif resembling the modern symbol for a hurricane. Except for the beveled base, which is only partially covered, the reddish ceramic fabric is enveloped in white slip under a clear glaze.

Published Catalogue Text: In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art , written 2013
131

Fragmentary bowl with inscription
Eastern Iran or Central Asia, Samanid period, 10th century[1]
Reddish earthenware covered in white slip and painted with black (manganese and iron) under clear lead glaze
11.4 × 32.8 cm (4 1/2 × 12 15/16 in.)
2002.50.61

The inscription painted around the rim of this fragmentary bowl has thus far defied reading. It is possible that the many sherds from which the bowl was reconstructed before Norma Jean Calderwood purchased it were positioned incorrectly. During its subsequent cleaning and reassembly, several “alien” sherds were removed and retained for study.[2] In a few areas, the brownish-black slip has run slightly in the glaze towards the center of the bowl, which is decorated with a small revolving motif resembling the modern symbol for a hurricane. Except for the beveled base, which is only partially covered, the reddish ceramic fabric is enveloped in white slip under a clear glaze.

Mary McWilliams

[1] The bowl was last fired between 700 and 1200 years ago, according to the results of thermoluminescence analysis carried out by Oxford Authentication Ltd. in 2002.
[2] See, in this volume, the discussion of reconstructing ceramic vessels from unrelated sherds in Anthony B. Sigel’s essay, “History in Pieces: Conservation Issues in Islamic Ceramics,” 37–49.

Publication History

  • Mary McWilliams, ed., In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, exh. cat., Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2013), p. 263, cat. 131, ill.

Related Works

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu