Description:

AN INTACT FATIMID LUSTRE "PEACOCK" BOWL, CIRCA 10TH CENTURY
Egypt, 10th century

Description:
A finely potted lustreware bowl on a short foot with slightly flaring sides. Executed in a golden brown metallic lustre over a white tin-opacified glaze, the decoration features abstracted peacock-feather motifs and circular rosettes, characteristic of Fatimid ceramic iconography. The bold calligraphic and geometric forms create a visually dynamic composition, enhanced by the shimmering surface. This bowl exemplifies the high aesthetic and technical standards of early Islamic lustreware from Fustat.

Dimensions:
Diameter: 23 cm
Height: 6.5 cm

Provenance:
Private Collection, Canada

Comparable examples:

  • A Fatimid lustre bowl with similar peacock feather motif, 10th century Egypt, sold at Christie’s, London, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 26 October 2023, Lot 94, for £63,000.

  • A related Fatimid lustre bowl with bird and abstract scroll decoration, Egypt, 10th century, sold at Sotheby’s, London, Arts of the Islamic World, 22 October 2019, Lot 96, for £50,000.

  • A comparable example with stylised avian forms, Fatimid period, sold at Bonhams, London, Islamic and Indian Art, 25 April 2022, Lot 27, for £43,750.

Note:
Lustre-painted ceramics from the Fatimid period reflect the fusion of Islamic abstraction and classical naturalism. The so-called "peacock" motif, with its fan-like eyes and rhythmic curving lines, likely symbolised divine beauty and renewal. Produced in the Fustat kilns, these bowls were luxury items traded widely across the Mediterranean and remain among the most coveted examples of medieval Islamic ceramic art.

 

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May 6, 2025 1:00 PM BST
London, United Kingdom

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