Lot Essay
Kashan was one of the great lustre-producing centres in Iran in the late 12th and early 13th century. Inspired by the Syrian and Egyptian technique of painting under a transparent underglaze, Kashani potters refined this and began to use further colours and more intricate designs. The most popular colour palette was black and cobalt-blue, as seen on our bowl. Further marking our bowl as typically Kashan are the fish and floral motifs.
Our bowl has the same black and blue triangular panels as one in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (acc.no.1956-101) and another in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (acc.no.AL.5-1976). These confirm the attribution of our bowl to the early 13th century. A bowl similar to ours, but with calligraphic panels instead of our elegant fish motif, was sold in these Rooms, 25 Apr 2024, lot 11.
Our bowl has the same black and blue triangular panels as one in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (acc.no.1956-101) and another in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (acc.no.AL.5-1976). These confirm the attribution of our bowl to the early 13th century. A bowl similar to ours, but with calligraphic panels instead of our elegant fish motif, was sold in these Rooms, 25 Apr 2024, lot 11.