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Lot Essay
Mina’i ware began to appear in the 12th century and revolutionised the ceramic tradition of Iran at the time. The technique of overglazing allowed for more intricate detail and followed the tradition of manuscript painting. Mina’i ware often depicts courtly scenes, or scenes from the Shahnama. Ours diverges from this tradition as there does not appear to be a central royal figure. Instead, there are three well-dressed courtiers in conversation. They are ringed with a band of nine figures in colourful attire, separated by stylised foliage. Each of the nine figures has a gold halo, McClary suggests that of this feature, “when used on multiple figures in the same composition … [it] could have been intended to show that all of the protagonists are in paradise” (Richard McClary, A New Approach to Mina’i Wares: Chronology and Decoration, Persica, p.13).
There is a pseudo-kufic inscription repeated on the rim, reading al-dawla which is often translated to mean ‘wealth’. There is a further band of undeciphered naskh poetry on the outside of the bowl. The band of figures and the pseudo-kufic closely relate to a fragment of a bowl in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc.no.12.22). The presence of three figures, without one enthroned, is similar to a bowl sold in these Rooms, 23 Oct 2007, lot 90.
There is a pseudo-kufic inscription repeated on the rim, reading al-dawla which is often translated to mean ‘wealth’. There is a further band of undeciphered naskh poetry on the outside of the bowl. The band of figures and the pseudo-kufic closely relate to a fragment of a bowl in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc.no.12.22). The presence of three figures, without one enthroned, is similar to a bowl sold in these Rooms, 23 Oct 2007, lot 90.