Bowl
Unknown Artist
12th–13th century
Medium
Stonepaste; luster-painted on opaque white glaze
Classification
Ceramics
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1912
Accession Number
12.34.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite stonepaste bowl, crafted by an unknown artist in the12th–13th, exemplifies the pinnacle of Islamic ceramic artistry from the medieval Middle East. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic Department (acquired through the Rogers Fund in 2), it features luster-painting on an opaque glaze—a sophisticated technique developed in regions like Syria and Iran during the Seljuk and Ayyubid eras. Stonepaste, a composite body of quartz, clay, and frit, allowed potters to create a fine, porcelain-like surface that was both durable and ideal for intricate decoration. The luster-pa...