Mina'i bowl on high foot
- Object Number: STKMG:1952.P.104
- Simple Name: bowl
- Full Name: mina'i bowl
- Production Place: Kashan
- Production Place: Isfahan Province
- Production Place: Iran
- Production Period:
- 12th century
- Summary: Mina'i bowl on high foot. Hard thin sandy body, decorated in Minai style with polychrome relief decoration on ivory ground, with seated figure in centre, 2 standing figures, one either side and 2 squatting figures below. The rim is lobed with a dentelle edge. An inscription in Kufic script runs around the inner side wall, another cursive script around the exterior. The bowl used to be part of the Sir Ernest Debenham Collection.
- Terms:ceramics
- Terms:Islamic
- Terms:Mina'i
- Terms:101 Ceramic Highlights
- Inscription:
- Additional Notes: The minai (or mina'i) techinique applied additional coloured pigments over an already glazed fritware vessel. This allows the potter expand the colour palette to include blue, green, red, purple, brown, black, pink and gold. They were expensive to produce, requiring three firings; biscuit, glaze with in-glaze colours and finally enamel colours and gilding. Richly-coloured minai wares represent some of the highest artistic and technical achievements in Islamic ceramics. Minai wares are typified by their wide-ranging colour schemes and intricate narrative compositions. The scenes often portray themes derived from Persian literature and illustrated manuscripts from the period,. Many of these original manuscripts were lost during the Mongol invasion, making the scenes that survive on Minai ceramics important pieces of historical information.
- Contact: Potteries Museum and Art Gallery
