Object Details
Patron
Abu Nasr Kirmanshah
Description
Made for Amir Abu Nasr Kirmanshah
Bowl: deep, with a foliated rim; high, hollow foot. Broken and repaired.
Clay: soft, white.
Glaze: cream-white.
Decoration: painted over glaze in pale blue and green, with areas of tomato-red; linear details in black and gold. Inscriptions both inside and outside.
Label
This eight-lobed bowl harmoniously combines figural, abstract, and calligraphic designs and is typical of some of the finest medieval Persian ceramics. The bowl is decorated with enamel paint, and a princely figure on a large and powerful elephant dominates the center. A band of kufic inscription offering blessings and good wishes surrounds him. The exterior inscription celebrates the qualities of a certain Abu Nasr Kirmanshah, the patron of this finely decorated bowl.
Provenance
1927
Parish-Watson Company, New York 1927 [1]
From 1927
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Parish-Watson Company, New York in 1927 [2]
Notes:
[1] Object file, undated folder sheet note. Also see Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List file, Collections Management Office.
[2] See note 1.
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History
Facing East: Portraits from Asia (July 1 to September 4, 2006)
Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016)
Near Eastern Ceramics (May 10, 1985 to September 3, 1985)
Near Eastern Ceramics (June 24, 1982 to September 23, 1982)
Near Eastern Ceramics (May 14, 1981 to May 10, 1985)
Art of the Near East (August 21, 1977 to December 14, 1979)
Ceramics from the World of Islam (January 16, 1974 to July 1, 1974)
Near Eastern Art—Paintings, Pottery (August 18, 1967 to February 10, 1972)
Near Eastern Art (June 5, 1964 to August 18, 1967)
Near Eastern Art (January 1, 1963 to August 18, 1967)
Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 6 and 7 (February 25, 1956 to April 10, 1962)
Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Manuscripts, Pottery, Metalwork, and Glass (April 12, 1955 to November 21, 1955)
Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Arts, 1947 (October 6, 1947 to February 25, 1956)
Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Ceramics and Glass (January 9, 1945 to May 1, 1945)
Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Paintings (May 1, 1945 to September 25, 1947)
Untitled Exhibition, Persian Paintings and Ceramics (May 5, 1933 to January 9, 1945)
Untitled Exhibition, Shahnama and Chinese Art (March 24, 1930 to May 5, 1933)
Near Eastern Pottery and Persian Painting (May 2, 1923 to March 14, 1931)
Previous custodian or owner
Parish-Watson Company
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Date
late 12th-early 13th century
Period
Saljuq period
Accession Number
F1927.3
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Vessel
Medium
Stone-paste body painted under glaze and over glaze with enamel (mina'i)
Dimensions
H x Diam: 9 x 18.9 cm (3 9/16 x 7 7/16 in)
Origin
Iran
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
ceramic
portrait
elephant
Saljuq period (1037 - 1300)
kufic script
Iran
Arts of the Islamic World
stone-paste
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_F1927.3