Bowl
Unknown Artist
12th–14th century
Medium
Earthenware, glaze
Dimensions
Overall: 3 13/16 x 4 in. (9.7 x 10.1 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture
Byzantine
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Dikran G. Kelekian, 1912
Accession Number
12.45.4
Art Historical Context
This modest yet elegant earthenware bowl hails from the Byzantine Empire, dating to the 12th–14th—a vibrant era when Constantinople was a crossroads of Eastern and Western cultures. Crafted for everyday use, such vessels were staples in households, markets, and monasteries, reflecting the empire's sophisticated ceramic traditions amid political turbulence and artistic flourishing. The bowl's medium of glazed earthenware highlights key Byzantine innovations. Earthenware, fired at lower temperatures, was abundant and practical, while the glossy glaze not only sealed the porous clay for hygiene ...