Near East, Iran, Samanid Dynasty, Nishapur or Samarqand, ca. 10th to 12th century CE. A steep-walled terracotta bowl with a beautiful, stylized Kufic (the earliest form of Arabic) script in a register around its central interior. The inscription is black, on a background of yellow, with a band of red and further black vine-like motifs around the rim. In tondo is a cross-hatched red and black pattern. The exterior is glazed thinly in white; the foot is unglazed. Nishapur ware used a white slip on a terracotta body with designs painted in slips of bright colors - mixing the colors with slip prevented them from running, leading to the crisp iconography like on this example. Size: 10.45" W x 3.85" H (26.5 cm x 9.8 cm)

The inscriptions on bowls like this one are Arabic proverbs - in fact, some of the first extant examples that appear in the Islamic world. Each inscription is read by turning the bowl counterclockwise. Some of these inscriptions are a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad, and others are referencing social codes from the Samanids, who deeply valued hospitality and generosity.

Provenance: private Orange County, California, USA collection acquired before 2000

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#121877

Repaired from multiple large pieces, with overpainting on the exterior glaze, but the interior glaze is well preserved and repairs are very difficult to see.