A FINE MINAI POTTERY BOWL DECORATED WITH COURT PLEASURES
PERSIA, CIRCA 1200
Estimate: £6,000 - £8,000
Auction: Islamic Art | Lots 1 to 66 | 12 June at 10am
Description
with rounded sides on a short foot, the interior in low relief and gilded and enamelled in blue, turquoise, red and black with an enthroned prince flanked by attendants, and encircled by figures of a courtesan, lute players and courtiers, elaborate arabesques on the exterior
Dimensions
21.5cm (8 ½in) diameter
Provenance
Formerly in the collection of Lester Wolf and on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Sotheby’s, Antiquities and Islamic works of Art, 2nd May 1975, lot 357.
Acquired from the above.
Private UK Collection.
Footnote
Note:
Minai is the technique of decorating ceramics by gilding and painting them with a kind of enamel above the glaze. Following this they are heated again and the enamel fuses to the glaze, creating a spectacular, luxurious and slightly raised effect. The subjects portrayed are often to do with court life, pleasures and occasionally abstract designs are used.
In the case of this bowl, the artist offers us a glimpse into the extraordinary pleasures of court life.