CENTRAL IRAN, LATE 12TH CENTURY

Details

A MINA'I PART PIERCED CONICAL POTTERY BOWL
CENTRAL IRAN, LATE 12TH CENTURY
On vertical foot, the white interior depicting a central rider within a plain manganese band, the sides with a procession of griffins alternating with arabesque panels, a cobalt-blue band of kufic around the rim, the central roundel and a few small places around the sides pierced, sometimes revealing coloured panels, the exterior with a band of black naskh inscription, areas of restoration, extensive iridescence
8 1/8in. (20.6cm.) diam.

Special notice

This lot is offered without reserve. VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 15% on the buyer's premium

Lot Essay

This bowl uses a combination of two techniques that are hardly ever found together: overglaze enamels and piercing through the body. This rarity may well have been since the extra firing for the enamels would have placed a further strain on the now uneven body making it more likely to self-destruct in the kiln. The effect however, particularly in the centre where the piercing is under differently coloured glazes, is akin to stained glass and must have been highly prized.

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