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ʿAbbāsid Bowl with Arab Drummer, Mesopotamia, 10th Century.
Sotheby's sale L14223/lot 93
Bowl
An Abbasid lustre pottery bowl depicting a musician, Mesopotamia, 10th century
Estimate 15,000 — 25,000 GBP
LOT SOLD. 18,750 GBP
An Abbasid lustre pottery bowl depicting a musician, Mesopotamia, 10th century
Of shallow rounded form with a slightly everted rim and narrow footring, the earthenware body painted in golden lustre on a cream ground, with a standing figure in the centre holding a tambourine against a dotted background, a single-line Kufic inscription on his left-hand side and underneath the base, the reverse with large stylised peacock eyes.
23.5cm. diam.
PROVENANCE: Croisier Collection, Switzerland
Inscriptions:
Inside: baraka 'amal (?) 'Blessing work (?)'
Under the base: possibly [bara]ka 'Blessing'
The present plate belongs to the group of ceramics termed by Ernst Grube "the First Abbasid Period" and noted by him as important instigators and precursors of the future popularity of the lustre technique (Grube 1976, pp.44-80). Grube also explores the style of the human figures as key iconographic characters of Abbasid lustreware. They are represented in a wide variety of poses: standing alone, holding an object, on horseback or together with another figure. The musician on the present dish appears to be holding a tambourine and belongs to a fully-evolved repertoire depicting the recreational and pleasurable activities of the court.
Source: Sotheby's