Bowl
Unknown Artist
12th century
Medium
Stonepaste; painted in luster and blue on opaque white glaze under transparent colorless glaze
Dimensions
H. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm) Diam. 8 1/16 in. (20.5 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H.O. Havemeyer Collection, Gift of Horace Havemeyer, 1948
Accession Number
48.113.7
Art Historical Context
This elegant 12th-century stonepaste bowl, hailing from the Islamic world, exemplifies the pinnacle of ceramic innovation. Crafted with an opaque white glaze as its base, it is adorned with intricate paintings in shimmering luster—a metallic gold-toned pigment—and vibrant blue, all sealed under a transparent colorless glaze. Measuring just 4½ inches high and 8 in diameter, its shallow, wide form was ideal for serving fruits, sweets, or beverages in affluent households, blending functionality with artistry. Stonepaste, a composite of quartz, clay, and glass frit, was a revolutionary Islamic in...