Mina'i Beaker with Seated Princes
Unknown Artist
1180–1220
Medium
Fritware with overglaze design, mina’i ware
Dimensions
13.3 × 12.3 cm
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust
Accession Number
1917.977
About this artwork
Mina’i ware takes its name from the Persian word for enamel. It was a luxurious type of pottery and used enamel painting to create true polychrome ceramic for the first time. Mina’i ware frequently combines blues, greens, and purples with sharp black and red executed with precise control. Figural scenes are quite common for these vessels and often recall book illustrations including rows of seated court members, sometimes flanking an enthroned ruler, and princely scenes of hunting or falconry.