Near East, Iran, Sultanabad, ca. 14th century CE. A stunning ceramic bowl boasting a gorgeously glazed surface of ultramarine and sky blue motifs on a creamy white ground. Supported by a discoid foot, the ornate vessel features impressively thin walls that slope dramatically outwards then slightly inwards and a wide, flared rim that hangs over a deep basin. The interior of the vessel is adorned with an elaborate floral program of a central narrow-petalled flower surrounded by abstract, vegetal designs and a border of alternating spirals and target motifs. Alternatively, the exterior is embellished with two registers of a fish scale pattern near the rim and a polka-dotted body. Three black bands beneath Arabic script decorate the rim of this fabulous dish. Size: 11.5" in diameter x 6" H (29.2 cm x 15.2 cm)

Islamic art flourished under the reign of Il-Khan Mahmud Ghazan (r. 1295?1304). The Persian-Islamic aesthetic also adopted East Asian influences to create a new artistic vocabulary that was admired by many cultures from Anatolia to India. In addition, pottery, jewelry, metalwork, textiles, and illuminated manuscripts evolved greatly along already established lines during the Il-Khanid period.

According to the Brooklyn Museum of Art, "Shared motifs and designs in the art of diverse cultures along the Silk Route provide some of the most visible evidence of cultural transmission between China and the Islamic world. Through trade, tribute, gift exchange, and the spread of religions such as Buddhism, Manichaeism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, imagery associated with one artistic tradition was often adapted or incorporated in another cultural context. Motifs that appear across the arts of China, Central Asia, and the Islamic world include fantastical animals such as dragons and phoenixes; cloud bands and cloud collar motifs; and flowers such as lotuses and peonies. Yet the meanings linked to these motifs often did not transfer from one context to the next. Similar imagery could exist simultaneously in several regions while signifying different things. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Iranian potters developed a stone paste body also known as fritware, intended to imitate the smooth white surface of Chinese porcelain." Thus, the flower that decorates the center of this vessel likely represents a Mongol Ilkhanid interpretation of the Chinese lotus, which was unknown in Iran.

Provenance: ex-private New Jersey, USA collection; ex-Baltimore Museum of Art, BMA #1951, 162, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; ex-collection of Mrs. Louis Azrael, Maryland, USA

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#161955

Collection label on rim, another on lower wall near foot, and several more on base. Repair from three pieces on one side with break lines barely visible. Otherwise, excellent with lovely earthen deposits, beautiful iridescence to interior, and great craquelure on glazed areas.