Fragments of a Bowl with Green Splashes and Blue Inscription
Unknown Artist
9th century
Medium
Earthenware; splashed in green and painted in blue on opaque white glaze
Dimensions
Ht. 3 1/8 in. (8 cm) Diam. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1932
Accession Number
32.150.92
Art Historical Context
This exquisite fragment of a 9th-century earthenware bowl, splashed with vibrant green and adorned with a blue inscription on an opaque white glaze, offers a glimpse into the golden age of early Islamic ceramics. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic Art department, these shards—measuring just 3⅛ inches high and with a bowl diameter of 10¼ inches—evoke the artistry of Abbasid-era potters, likely from Iraq or Mesopotamia. The opaque white glaze, achieved through innovative tin-opacification, created a smooth, porcelain-like surface that revolutionized ceramic decoration, allowing b...