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Bowl with Birds

A work made of fritware painted with gray and white slips under a transparent glaze.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of fritware painted with gray and white slips under a transparent glaze.

Date:

Ilkhanid dynasty (1256–1353), Late 13th/early 14th century

Artist:

Iran

About this artwork

This bowl belongs a group of ceramics known as Sultanabad wares, named after the city in western Iran. Although these wares were found in Sultanabad, their origins of production are not certain, but their decorative schemes often illustrate the conflation of Chinese and Iranian visual motifs. The phoenix, depicted three times here, is a common motif of Mongol ceramics. Like the lotus flower depicted on another Sultanabad ware, the phoenix was imported from China, although they both lacked imperial associations in their new Ilkhanid context. In medieval Iran, the phoenix was conflated with the mythical figure of the simurgh, a legendary bird from the epic poem, the Shahnameh (Book of Kings). Sultanabad wares are also distinguished by their hemispherical shape, which approximates the shape of Chinese celadon bowls. The muted brown-grey palette of this bowl reflects a color scheme found in many other Sultanabad vessels, but this bowl also shimmers iridescent under light.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Asia

Culture

Islamic

Title

Bowl with Birds

Place

Iran (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1281–1349

Medium

Fritware painted with gray and white slips under a transparent glaze

Dimensions

H: 10 cm; Diam:21.3 cm (H: 4 in. Diam: 8 1/2 in.

Credit Line

Mary Jane Gunsaulus Collection

Reference Number

1914.51

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/69763/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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