This Syrian dish has an unusual amount of movement in the way the motifs are drawn. The energetic cavetto and particularly the swirling central palmette leaves convey this restlessness very clearly. The band of motifs with the roundels alternating with small floral motifs shows how international various motifs had become by this date. The roundels are very Syrian, seen at their best in the large jar in this sale, lot 33. The floral motifs seem however far closer to the designs of Sultanabad in Iran than Syria.
The sharp juncture between the cavetto and the rim, with its pronounced ridge, is a feature which appears sometimes in Syrian pottery. The small sgraffiato bowl in this sale, lot 38 displays this feature even more prominently.