A KASHAN PIERCED WHITE-GLAZED CONICAL BOWL

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PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE AMERICAN COLLECTIONLots 27-43 come from a Private American collection. They were all excavated with legal licenses in Iran in the 1930s and 40s and were brought to America at a time when Europe was becoming more troubled, and America was considered the marketplace with the greatest potential. The supply of serious works of art, coupled with active promotion by scholars such as Arthur Upham Pope, meant that interest in collecting Persian art rapidly grew, with museums building up representative collections as well as private individuals forming collections of the highest quality.

A KASHAN PIERCED WHITE-GLAZED CONICAL BOWL

CENTRAL IRAN, 12TH CENTURY

Details

A KASHAN PIERCED WHITE-GLAZED CONICAL BOWL
CENTRAL IRAN, 12TH CENTURY
Of conical form on short foot, the centre of the interior plain, a band of moulded animals against scrolling vine at the rim with double plain bands above and below, pierced and covered in a white glaze, repaired breaks
9 ¾in. (24.8cm.) diam; 4 ½in. (11.4cm.) high

Provenance

American collection by 1971

Further details

Some countries prohibit or restrict the purchase and/or import of Iranian-origin property. Bidders must familiarise themselves with any laws or shipping restrictions that apply to them before bidding on these lots. For example, the USA prohibits dealings in and import of Iranian-origin “works of conventional craftsmanship” (such as carpets, textiles, decorative objects, and scientific instruments) without an appropriate licence. Christie’s has a general OFAC licence which, subject to compliance with certain conditions, would enable a buyer to import this type of lot into the USA. If you intend to use Christie’s licence, please contact us for further information before you bid.

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

The introduction of fritware to Iran from Syria and Egypt in the twelfth century has been described as a ‘revolution in ceramic technology’ (Oliver Watson, Ceramics of Iran, London, 2020, p.147). Rather than earthenware, the bodies of ceramic vessels were now made of an artificial mix of quartz, clay, and finely-ground glass powder, which was perfectly white and could be made into walls only a few millimetres thick. This allowed the products of Kashan – the central Iranian town which seems to have had a monopoly on the technology - to rival those of Chinese workshops, which had a translucency which had long been the envy of the world (Oliver Watson, op.cit., p.149). It made possible the creation of vessels like this: with walls so thin that they could be carved with small perforations which would be filled with glaze and create an effect like openwork, while still holding liquids. The decorated band around the rim of our bowl resembles that on another in the Louvre (acc.no. MAO 530), and a beaker in the Sarikhani collection (Oliver Watson, op.cit., p.171, cat.86).

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