Fragment of a Luster Bird

Unknown Artist

10th century

Fragment of a Luster Bird by Unknown Artist

Medium

Earthenware; luster-painted on opaque white glaze

Dimensions

H. 1 in. (2.5 cm) W. 1 1/8 in. (2.9 cm) D. 5/16 in. (0.7 cm)

Classification

Ceramics

Department

Islamic Art

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Gift of Michel E. Abemayor, 1971

Accession Number

1971.103

Tags

Birds

Art Historical Context

This delicate fragment, known as *Fragment of auster Bird*, hails from the 10th century showcases the pinnacle of Islamic ceramic artistry. Crafted from earthenware and adorned with luster-painted designs over an opaque white glaze it measures just 1 inch high—a testament to the miniaturist's. Likely part of a larger vessel, the bird motif evokes the natural world so revered in Islamic decorative arts,izing grace and the gardens of paradise. Lusterware a revolutionary technique perfected in the Abbasid era, involved applying metallic oxides to the glazed surface and firing it in a reducing at...

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