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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.” This footed bowl incorporates a number of colors frequently found on mina’i, such as blue, red, and gidling. The hexagonal and star design incorporates gilded outlines of seated figures and birds with their wings outstretched. This scene is encircled by a raised naskhi inscription on the inner rim set against a gold background. The kufic inscription on the outer rim seems to be a repetition of the same word.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
2879
label
Bowl with Star and Hexagonal Design
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
7
Source metadata
id
2879
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Bowl with Star and Hexagonal Design
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.” This footed bowl incorporates a number of colors frequently found on mina’i, such as blue, red, and gidling. The hexagonal and star design incorporates gilded outlines of seated figures and birds with their wings outstretched. This scene is encircled by a raised naskhi inscription on the inner rim set against a gold background. The kufic inscription on the outer rim seems to be a repetition of the same word.
provenance
Dikran Kelekian, Constantinople and Paris, [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase [said to have been found at Rhadjes]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1914, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
late 12th-early 13th century (Seljuk (?))
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
bowls (vessels)
imageCount
7
pageCount
7
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
9.2
height
21.3
dimensionsRaw
H: 3 5/8 × W: 8 3/8 in. (9.21 × 21.3 cm)
Source extras
med
fritware, white underglaze, blue, purple, red, and turquoise, overglaze enamel, traces of gilding
creator_ids
6768
collection_ids
none
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
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1
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photo
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568264ebfe967dbf
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no
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photo
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c076c65dfe858fe4
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type
photo
mediaId
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no
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no
seq
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type
photo
mediaId
6873c52efcd4c4ec
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no
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type
photo
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no
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type
photo
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no
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seq
7
type
photo
mediaId
071f3054a30b43c2
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no