Publication Date
8th/14th century
Publication Place
-
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow Museums
Subject
Thin-veneered glazed pottery, with engraved decoration.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع : 10.5 سم (الحد الأقصى)؛ العرض: 15 سم( الحد الأقصى)
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
1919.84.ah
Record ID
object;ISL;uk;Mus04;22;ar
Library Location
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow Museums
Date
8th/14th century
Notes
A pottery fragment consisting of the central part and the upper rim of a bowl with a base and a slanted side, which appears to have a circular shape engraved with arabesques. On the top can be seen fragments of a bundle of handwritten Arabic words. The technique used, known as sgraffito (Italian for random writing), involves immersing the pot in a fluid, light-coloured clay called a dipping mixture. Using a sharp tool, the desired shape is scratched into the mixture, highlighting the clay material while drawing the design. The vessel is then glazed and grilled. The embossed shape creates contrast, highlighting the dark color of the clay, while the spaces between the lines contribute to highlighting the light color of the mixture. The transparent layer of the bowl is composed of a compound of glass and yellow lead oxide. The cost of manufacturing this type of vessels is lower than the cost of those made of ceramic, and thus meets the needs of less wealthy customers, who, like the richer ones, aspire and tend to possess vessels glazed and decorated with lines and designs. The city of Fustat maintained its vital position as a commercial city during the Mamluk era (647-922 / 1250-1517), despite losing some of its fame to the Cairo absorbed it after it was founded by the Mamluks.
Sample Text
Noorah Al-Gailani, Noorah Al-Gailani “A fragment of a bowl” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;uk;Mus04;22;ar
