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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. The figure depicted at the center of this bowl appears to be of noble or courtly status, since the rider on the camel is accompanied by an attendant on foot. The kufic lettering on the inner rim seems to be a pseudo-inscription, while the naskhi inscription on the outside is legible.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
20927
label
Bowl with Rider on Camel
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
7
Source metadata
id
20927
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Bowl with Rider on Camel
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. The figure depicted at the center of this bowl appears to be of noble or courtly status, since the rider on the camel is accompanied by an attendant on foot. The kufic lettering on the inner rim seems to be a pseudo-inscription, while the naskhi inscription on the outside is legible.
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
late 12th-early 13th century (Seljuq (?))
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
bowls (vessels)
imageCount
7
pageCount
7
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
8.6
height
21.1
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 3 3/8 x 8 5/16 in. (8.6 x 21.1 cm)
Source extras
med
fritware, white underglaze, black, blue, brown, pink, and turquoise overglaze enamel, gilding
creator_ids
6768
collection_ids
none
exhibition_ids
2177
Page inventory
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photo
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photo
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