Bowl
Unknown Artist
12th century
Medium
Stonepaste; overglaze painted, so-called "mina'i" ware
Dimensions
H. 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm) Diam. 8 3/16 in. (20.8 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Milton A. Rauh and Florence L. Goldmark Collection, Bequest of Florence L. Goldmark, 1974
Accession Number
1974.161.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite 12th-century stonepaste bowl, a prime example of so-called "mina'i" from the Islamic world, hails from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic Art collection. Measuring just over 2 inches tall and8 inches across, its shallow form was ideal for serving fruits, sweets, or in affluent households. Crafted anonymously by a skilled potter—likely in Iran during the Seljuq era—this ceramic masterpiece showcases the era's technical brilliance, with a durable stonepaste body (fritware) that mimicked porcelain's finesse. The bowl's standout feature is its overglaze painting technique, wh...