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A LARGE ISLAMIC CALLIGRAPHIC POTTERY BOWL 10TH CENTURY

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Coins: Ancient Start Price:2,500.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 7,000.00 USD
A LARGE ISLAMIC CALLIGRAPHIC POTTERY BOWL 10TH CENTURY
A VERY RARE & LARGE ANCIENT ISLAMIC SAMANID POLYCHROME CALLIGRAPHIC POTTERY BOWL, NISHAPUR OR SAMARKAND CENTRAL ASIA CIRCA 10TH/11TH CENTURY, of truncated conical form with short foot, decorated with a central Large Palm motif covered in red band surmounted by a bold and ornate band of kufic script, cream slip ground with a central palmette enclosed in a roundel on a stippled ground encircled by a radial inscription in black, the interstices of the design scatteredthe lip decorated with a chain band in green, of large Size & With Beautiful Calligraphy in Kufic Arabic along with Decorations on the bowl, Very Interesting & Rare Piece. Many ceramics from the Nishapur region are decorated with calligraphy. The writing on these objects often relates to their use (i.e., "Eat with appetite") or repeat a familiar proverb. The writing on this bowl expresses good wishes for the owner: "Blessing, felicity, prosperity, well-being, happiness." Curiously, the inscription includes the start of an additional word, al, meaning "the," but not the rest of the word. The tall vertical strokes of these letters must have been included to make the overall visual effect of the inscription more harmonious. This bowl is thought to come from Samarqand, because the central motif of interlacing straps is also found on metal objects made there.