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Bowl with a poetic recitation, Seljuk, 1187AD, Kashan, Iran
Bowl
Iran, Kashan, 1187/Muharram, 583 A.H.
Ceramics
Fritware, inglaze- and overglaze-painted (mina'i)
3 5/8 x 8 3/8 in. (9.21 x 21.27 cm)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Allan C. Balch (M.45.3.116)
Islamic Art
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Curator Notes
Some mina’i ceramics enjoy a particularly close relationship to poetry. Many examples are inscribed with verses, and others are decorated with figures referring to well-known poetic themes and tales. Several of these colorful wares, including this bowl, appear to depict the act of poetic recitation itself: it can be imagined that the performer here, seated at the left before a courtly audience, is delivering the verses inscribed along the exterior rim of the bowl, which begin: "If the beloved leaves me, what am I to do? If s/he does not see the wisdom of our union, what am I to do?"
LACMA