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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.”Mina’i ware scenes often depict courtly pursuits, such as feasting, fighting, or poetry and music performances. These colorful compositions created complex narrative scenes which paralleled manuscript painting. These colorful compositions created complex narrative scenes which paralleled manuscript painting. The combination of leisurely activities with more warrior-like occupations, such as the hunt, was frequently used in the medieval Persian iconography of kingship. This is referred to as bazm wa razm, or feasting and fighting, two activities illustrated on this vase. Across the central register of this vase are several painted horsemen, framed by stylized vines and separated by seated figures enclosed within circles. Above a pseudo kufic inscription are more seated figures, also separated by stylized vines, and this band of figures runs about the neck of the vase. A naskhi inscription encircles the exterior rim of the vase
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
36552
label
Vase with Horsemen and Seated Figures
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
12
Source metadata
id
36552
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Vase with Horsemen and Seated Figures
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.”Mina’i ware scenes often depict courtly pursuits, such as feasting, fighting, or poetry and music performances. These colorful compositions created complex narrative scenes which paralleled manuscript painting. These colorful compositions created complex narrative scenes which paralleled manuscript painting. The combination of leisurely activities with more warrior-like occupations, such as the hunt, was frequently used in the medieval Persian iconography of kingship. This is referred to as bazm wa razm, or feasting and fighting, two activities illustrated on this vase. Across the central register of this vase are several painted horsemen, framed by stylized vines and separated by seated figures enclosed within circles. Above a pseudo kufic inscription are more seated figures, also separated by stylized vines, and this band of figures runs about the neck of the vase. A naskhi inscription encircles the exterior rim of the vase
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1929 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
late 12th-early 13th century (Seljuq (?))
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Ceramics
vases
imageCount
12
pageCount
12
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
22.7
height
13.5
dimensionsRaw
H: 8 15/16 × Diam: 5 5/16 in. (22.7 × 13.5 cm)
Source extras
med
fritware, white underglaze, black, blue, pink, red, and turquoise overglaze enamel, with traces of gilding
creator_ids
6747
collection_ids
ISL
exhibition_ids
none
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