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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 combination of leisurely activities with more warrior-like occupations, such as hunting, was frequently used in the medieval Persian iconography of kingship. This is referred to as bazm wa razm, or feasting and fighting. The central figure seen here is seated on a harnessed horse, possibly while on a hunt. The bowl also features two pseudo-inscriptions in different calligraphic styles: in kufic on the interior, and naskhi on the exterior.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
23521
label
Bowl with Horseman
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
5
Source metadata
id
23521
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Bowl with Horseman
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 combination of leisurely activities with more warrior-like occupations, such as hunting, was frequently used in the medieval Persian iconography of kingship. This is referred to as bazm wa razm, or feasting and fighting. The central figure seen here is seated on a harnessed horse, possibly while on a hunt. The bowl also features two pseudo-inscriptions in different calligraphic styles: in kufic on the interior, and naskhi on the exterior.
provenance
Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1931, 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
7.6
height
15.5
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 3 x 6 1/8 in. (7.6 x 15.5 cm)
Source extras
med
fritware, white underglaze, black, blue, purple, pink, red, and turquoise overglaze enamel, and traces of gilding
creator_ids
6768
collection_ids
none
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
8609d4b3457d2aca
hasOcr
no
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no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
b96ea9352acf9b80
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
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type
photo
mediaId
e20c3f28a52365df
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
2b50041f82583640
hasOcr
no
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no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
521dc94b8fdee3ea
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no