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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1979.360
Title
Bowl with inscriptions and courtly scenes in roundels
Classification
Vessels
Work Type
vessel
Date
1300-1325
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Iran, Shiraz
Period
Muzaffarid period
Culture
Persian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/216152

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Hammered brass, incised and inlaid with silver (now mostly lost)
Technique
Inlaid
Dimensions
14 x 28 cm (5 1/2 x 11 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: Translation (under the rim): "Glory, prosperity, blessings, // majesty, splendor, virtues, // munificence, knowledge, clemency, works, // doing well, and perfection." (Under the waist): "Glory to our master, the greatest king, the great sultan, the knowledgable and the just one, the warrior, the frontier guardian, the one assisted from the heavens, the one victorious over the enemies, the heir to the kingdom of Solomon, the most just of Sultans."Inscription (in Arabic, under the rim): "al-`izz wa'l-iqbâl wa'n-ni`am wa // I-jadd wa'l-majd wa'l-afdâl wa // I-karam wa'l-`ilm wa'l-hilm wa'l-a`mâl // wa'l-ijmâl wa'l-ikmâl wa." (In Arabic, around the waist): "`Izz li-mawlânâ al-malik // al-a`zam al-sultân // al-mu`azzam al-`âlim al-`âdil // wa'l-mujâhid al-murâbit // al-mu'ayyad min al-samâ' al-muzaffar `alâ // al-a`z[â] w[â]rith-i mulk-i Sulaymân a`dal Salâ..."

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Frances L. Hofer
Accession Year
1979
Object Number
1979.360
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
The shape of this bowl, the fish swimming on the inside (which indicate the bowl was used to hold water), the frieze of running animals just under the rim, the fretwork background, the princely scenes in roundels, and the pointed fringe near the base are all characteristic of the workshops of 14th century Shiraz. Some of these bowls were made for specific rulers, but most (including this one) have Arabic inscriptions glorifying an unnamed sultan and calling him the "inheritor of the kingdom of Solomon." Notes from the Glory and Prosperity exhibition, Feb - June 2002.

Exhibition History

  • Arabesque, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 12/01/1990 - 03/24/1991
  • Overlapping Realms: Arts of the Islamic World and India, 900-1900, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 12/02/2006 - 03/23/2008
  • Beyond the Surface: Scientific Approaches to Islamic Metalwork, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 10/21/2011 - 06/01/2013

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or 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