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Source Description
Nishapur was founded as a Sasanian imperial city and ceramics produced here regularly incorporate elements from Sasanian metalware. The lively decoration on this bowl features four bearded figures surrounded by animals, birds, and angular script (possibly extending <em>baraka</em>, blessing). The central horse with a cheetah on his back suggests an imperial hunt, a common theme in Sasanian and Islamic art. The decorative motifs and figures employed on Nishapur polychrome ware reflect the rich cultural traditions in this part of northeastern Iran. Some vessels, like this one, depict the pastime of hunting, others reflect festivals celebrated by Muslims and Zoroastrians, and a few display Christian symbols.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
135708
label
Nishapur Figural Bowl
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
135708
contentType
object
title
Nishapur Figural Bowl
description
Nishapur was founded as a Sasanian imperial city and ceramics produced here regularly incorporate elements from Sasanian metalware. The lively decoration on this bowl features four bearded figures surrounded by animals, birds, and angular script (possibly extending <em>baraka</em>, blessing). The central horse with a cheetah on his back suggests an imperial hunt, a common theme in Sasanian and Islamic art. The decorative motifs and figures employed on Nishapur polychrome ware reflect the rich cultural traditions in this part of northeastern Iran. Some vessels, like this one, depict the pastime of hunting, others reflect festivals celebrated by Muslims and Zoroastrians, and a few display Christian symbols.
date
900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60759963
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 8 x 35.6 cm (3 1/8 x 14 in.)
cul
Iran, Nishapur, Samanid period (819–1005)
accession
1959.249
Source extras
tec
Earthenware with underglaze decoration
tombstone
Nishapur Figural Bowl, 900s. Iran, Nishapur, Samanid period (819–1005). Earthenware with underglaze decoration; overall: 8 x 35.6 cm (3 1/8 x 14 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1959.249
collection
Islamic Art
citations
citation
Lee, Sherman E. “Year in Review.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 46, no. 10 (December 1959): 210–231.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 214; Mentioned: p. 230
citation
Shepherd, Dorothy G. “Bacchantes in Islam.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 47, no. 3 (March 1960): 42–49.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: cover, pp. 42–49
citation
“Annual Report for the Year 1959.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 47, no. 6 (June 1960): 111–158.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 134
citation
Wilkinson, Charles Kyrle. <em>Iranian Ceramics: [Catalogue of an Exhibition]</em>. New York: Distributed by H.N. Abrams, 1963.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: no. 22, p. 123
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 211
citation
Grube, Ernst J. <em>The World of Islam</em>. London: Paul Hamlyn, 1966.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 21, fig. 6
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 211
citation
Atil, Esin. <em>Ceramics from the World of Islam</em>. Freer Gallery of Art Fiftieth Anniversary Exhibition, vol. III. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1973.
page_number
Comparative Material Reproduced: no. 6
citation
Zick-nessen. Johanna. "Figuren Mittelalterlich-Orientalischen Keramikschalen un die 'Sphaera Barbarica.'" <em>Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran </em>N.F. Bd. 8 (1975), pp. 217–240.
page_number
Reproduced: pl. 50, no. 3
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 267
citation
Neils, Jenifer. <em>The World of Ceramics: Masterpieces from the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Museum in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1982.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 21, fig. 23
citation
Soustiel, Jean, Charles Kiefer, and Henry Pierre Fourest. <em>La céramique islamique: le guide du connaisseur</em>. Paris: Office du Livre, Éditions Vilo, 1985.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 62, no. 44
citation
Grabar, Oleg. <em>The Formation of Islamic Art.</em> New Haven: Yale University Press, 1987.
page_number
Reproduced: fig. 111
citation
Baer, Eva. <em>The Human Figure in Islamic Art: Inheritances and Islamic Transformations</em>. <em>Bibliotheca Iranica </em>11. Costa Mesa, CA: Mazda Publishers, 2004.
page_number
Reproduced: fig. 8
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:56:02.431000
sourceId
135708
dept
Islamic Art
coll
Islamic Art
med
Earthenware with underglaze decoration
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
22f03a0fa0b0d3ef