Multicolored Bowl with Large Calligraphic Band

• Accession Number:AKM541
• Place:Uzbekistan, Samarqand
• Dimensions:32.8 cm
• Date:10th century
• Materials and Technique:Earthenware, pinkish slip with polychrome decoration under a yellowish transparent glaze

• 15. Bellerive Room

  Stop #3 of Bellerive Room Highlights

   

  Bold, graphic bowls with prominent black calligraphy were excavated by the dozen at the site of Nishapur, a major trade city in northeastern Iran, and they seem to have been a specialty of potters there. This bowl is decorated with a band of Arabic writing stating, “Generosity is a disposition of the dwellers of Paradise”. It might be hard to imagine eating off such an object, but it seems that the decoration was part of enjoyment of the meal and the company it was eaten with—as the food was consumed and the inscription revealed, the delight was in deciphering the writing and advice or proverbs it offered.

   

  Fun fact: The central interlace design of this bowl inspired the AKM logo.

   

  — Marika Sardar

  
  Next up in the Bellerive Room Highlights Tour:

    Animal-Shaped Pitcher,
    AKM793

Similar to the aphorism on AKM546, the one decorating the rim of this dish also reads “Generosity is the disposition of the dwellers of Paradise.” Also comparable is the method in which the dish is made and decorated with thin layers of coloured clay. But here the similarities end. The calligraphic composition on this dish is painted on a coloured background in a broad brush and fluid lines, and the space between the letters is filled with circles and abstract forms. The most significant aspect of this dish, however, is the sophisticated interlace at the centre of the dish with interweaving strapwork in the form of an eight-pointed star. This motif is the inspiration for the Aga Khan Museum logo.