Bowl with Flying Bird Design

Art Historical Context

The bowl circular form draws the eye inward to a central flying bird, its wings outstretched amid swirling blue and turquoise foliage. Painted in black, blue, and turquoise under a clear glaze, the design features delicate scrolls and stylized leaves radiating from the bird, framed by bands of interlacing vines and a lively zigzag border in contrasting tones along the rim. The stonepaste surface allows the colors to sit softly beneath the transparent glaze, giving the composition a luminous, almost jewel-like quality. Produced in the second half of the thirteenth to fourteenth century, this example of Sultanabad ware reflects the refined ceramic traditions of medieval Iran. Although the artist remains unknown, the bowl’s balanced ornament and skillful use of underglaze painting demonstrate the technical sophistication of Islamic pottery during the Ilkhanid period. Now in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, it offers visitors a vivid glimpse of the era’s love for nature-inspired motifs and harmonious design.