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Source Description

Mina’i is a modern collectors’ term for ceramics made in Iran during the late 12th to early 13th centuries. The term mina’i, translates as “enamelled” in Persian, designating the colored glass pigments used to paint detailed figural decoration on vessels or tiles, which were then fixed on the ceramic base by multiple firings. The use of a wide range of colors, including turquoise, red, green, purple, and black, also led these types of ceramics to be called by the Persian term “haft rang,” or “seven colors.”These colorful compositions created complex narrative scenes which paralleled manuscript painting. Mina’i ware scenes often depict courtly pursuits, such as feasting, fighting, or poetry and music performances. The combination of leisurely activities with more warrior-like occupations, such as the hunt, was frequently used in the medieval Persian iconography of kingship. The royal figure depicted here is seen seated on a central throne. He is surrounded by one courtier on either side, their heads slightly bent in a gesture of deference. This courtly scene is surrounding by a running band of six harpies. The inscription on the inner rim is in kufic. The cursive inscription on the bowl’s exterior is written in calligraphic style of naskhi.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
1598
label
Bowl with Enthroned Figure, Courtiers, and Harpies
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
7
Source metadata
id
1598
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Bowl with Enthroned Figure, Courtiers, and Harpies
description
Mina’i is a modern collectors’ term for ceramics made in Iran during the late 12th to early 13th centuries. The term mina’i, translates as “enamelled” in Persian, designating the colored glass pigments used to paint detailed figural decoration on vessels or tiles, which were then fixed on the ceramic base by multiple firings. The use of a wide range of colors, including turquoise, red, green, purple, and black, also led these types of ceramics to be called by the Persian term “haft rang,” or “seven colors.”These colorful compositions created complex narrative scenes which paralleled manuscript painting. Mina’i ware scenes often depict courtly pursuits, such as feasting, fighting, or poetry and music performances. The combination of leisurely activities with more warrior-like occupations, such as the hunt, was frequently used in the medieval Persian iconography of kingship. The royal figure depicted here is seen seated on a central throne. He is surrounded by one courtier on either side, their heads slightly bent in a gesture of deference. This courtly scene is surrounding by a running band of six harpies. The inscription on the inner rim is in kufic. The cursive inscription on the bowl’s exterior is written in calligraphic style of naskhi.
provenance
Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, 1928, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
late 12th-early 13th century (Seljuq (?))
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
bowls (vessels)
imageCount
7
pageCount
7
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
20.2
height
8.5
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 7 15/16 x 3 3/8 in. (20.2 x 8.5 cm)
Source extras
cul
Islamic
med
fritware, white underglaze, with black, blue, green, pink, red and white overglaze enamel, and gilding
creator_ids
6768
collection_ids
none
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
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type
photo
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