Description:

 A RARE NISHAPUR POTTERY DISH, CIRCA 10TH CENTURY
Nishapur, Persia, Samanid Period

Description:
Earthenware with cream slip and painted decoration under a transparent glaze. The central design features an elegant stylized tree or palmette motif, surrounded by calligraphic inscriptions in angular Kufic script executed in black and red. The composition is bold and balanced, exhibiting the early Islamic emphasis on abstract forms and epigraphic ornamentation. Craquelure throughout with areas of wear consistent with age.

Dimensions: 38cm

This dish exemplifies the sophisticated aesthetic of Samanid-period pottery, where inscriptions often bore moral or spiritual messages. The careful execution and aesthetic balance reflect the refined ceramic traditions of 10th-century Nishapur.

Comparable examples:

  • A Nishapur pottery bowl with Kufic inscription, 10th century, sold at Christie’s, London, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 25 October 2018, Lot 63, for £9,375.

  • A related Samanid epigraphic dish, circa 10th century, sold at Sotheby’s, Arts of the Islamic World, 26 April 2023, Lot 83, for £13,860.

  • A similar Nishapur dish with stylised tree motif, sold at Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 11 June 2018, Lot 39, for £8,125.

Note:
Samanid ceramics are renowned for their calligraphy and refined forms, often blending religious piety with artistic elegance. This dish’s painterly style and decorative script place it among the finer examples of Nishapur ware, likely intended for an affluent patron.

 

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May 6, 2025 1:00 PM BST
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