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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, hunting, or poetry and music performances. These colorful compositions created complex narrative scenes which paralleled manuscript painting. The central figure seen here is seated on a harnessed horse, possibly while hunting. The interior of this footed bowl includes an inscription in the kufic style.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
40749
label
Bowl with Horseman and Harpies
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
5
Source metadata
id
40749
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Bowl with Horseman 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.” Mina’i ware scenes often depict courtly pursuits, such as feasting, fighting, hunting, or poetry and music performances. These colorful compositions created complex narrative scenes which paralleled manuscript painting. The central figure seen here is seated on a harnessed horse, possibly while hunting. The interior of this footed bowl includes an inscription in the kufic style.
provenance
Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1928, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
late 12th-early 13th century (Seljuq (?))
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
bowls (vessels)
imageCount
5
pageCount
5
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
8.5
height
19.1
dimensionsRaw
H: 3 3/8 × W: 7 1/2 in. (8.5 × 19.1 cm)
Source extras
med
fritware, white underglaze, black, blue, brown, green, pink, red or white overglaze enamel, traces of gilding
creator_ids
6768
collection_ids
none
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
22eab25ecdb00cce
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
0f9464a619a3de06
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
0a01ff5b1e93ec51
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
5d74ace0d659bfc8
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
4a965940c7417004
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no