- 169
A Kashan lustre Bowl with a seated couple and inscriptions, Persia, early 13th century
Estimate
15,000 - 25,000 GBP
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Description
- Fritware
of truncated conical form on a high foot, composed of fritware painted in a honey-coloured lustre on an opaque white glaze, featuring a seated couple in the centre, surrounded by a row of cursive script around the inner body, below an inscription in Kufic script, and another band of cursive reserved in lustre around the inner rim, the exterior with a large band of Kufic script below a thinner band of cursive script
Exhibited
Perpetual Glory. Medieval Islamic Ceramics From the Harvey B. Plotnick Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, 2007.
Literature
O. Pancaroglu, Perpetual Glory. Medieval Islamic Ceramics from The Harvey B. Plotnick Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, 2007, p.132, no.85.
Condition
In good condition, intact, lustre bright, one section with missing glaze consistent with original firing, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
inscriptions
Around the rim reserved against lustre, two Persian quatrains:
ya rabb agar ‘ishq-e to afzun gardad
bas ‘aqebat-e kar-e delam chun gardad
‘ishq-e to che kymiya’ist garan
yek jaw … gardad
‘O Lord ! If my love [for you] increases
What will be the outcome for my heart?
Your love is a precious elixir
One grain .... will become ...’
… zolf-e an sanam dar mani
harkas nashavad moshk ze dastat khali
…. ank be-angosht namay-e rokh-e to
ze angosht za’faran naruyad ja’i
‘... you get tied up [in] the ringlet of that beloved
Whoever is deprived of musk from your hand
... that ... point to my face with your finger
Nowhere [else] will saffron grow out of a finger’
Around the body in lustre, two Persian quatrains:
sanam baz cho zad be-to bala-ye akhar
ta bar to rasad ze man du’a-ye akhar
dard-e del-e rish-e man namanad penhan
sar bar zanad in bovad be-ja-ye akhar
‘If your beloved hits you [i.e the heart] once again,
So that there is a final call from me
The pain in my wounded heart will not remain concealed,
It will rise and that will be its end.’
dush az sar-e zolfi botanash dideh
van khal-e siyah ze moshk-e nabash dideh
vandar bar-e khod mast o kharabash dideh
darda ki be-din za’f kamanash dideh
‘Last night I saw the ringlet of my beloved,
And that black mole [that looked like] pure musk,
And lying down next to me, I saw her, intoxicated.
How painful that in such a moment of weakness, I saw her eyebrows.’
The Kufic band, repetition of a few words, mainly:
al-ghalib ‘The triumphant’
On the outer wall, around the rim in Lustre, two Arabic quatrain:
al-ufuq al-ghiram lana ghiram
tafakhar ‘azm tara bihi al-kalam
nasim al-rayh [min] anfas ruhi
‘alayka ka-ma [‘ala salma salami]
‘Verily, our passion is beyond power,
Words fly away carrying pride of will
A breeze of air from the breath of my soul,
I greet you as I greet Salma.’
ya dha’l-ma’ani wa ma’dan al-adab
sayyidana wa ibn sayyid al-‘arab
anta ‘alim be-kull wa mu’jaza
wa lu sa’alna sawaka lam yujab
‘O the one who possesses qualities and is a mine of good breeding
Our Lord and master of the Arabs
You are learned in everything and [in] miracles
Even if we ask, apart from you [no one] answers’
The above quatrain is attributed to the famous Arab poet al-Mutanabbi (d. 965) and is on a lustre bowl in the Islamic Museum in Tehran (93.S), dated sha’ban 607 (January-February 1211).
Followed by:
al-‘izz al-da’im wa [a]l-iqbal …
‘Perpetual glory and prosperity …’
The inscription in Kufic against lustre: Repeat of a few words (not all decipherable), mainly either al-baqa ‘Long-life’ or al-ghalib ‘Triumphant’
Around the rim reserved against lustre, two Persian quatrains:
ya rabb agar ‘ishq-e to afzun gardad
bas ‘aqebat-e kar-e delam chun gardad
‘ishq-e to che kymiya’ist garan
yek jaw … gardad
‘O Lord ! If my love [for you] increases
What will be the outcome for my heart?
Your love is a precious elixir
One grain .... will become ...’
… zolf-e an sanam dar mani
harkas nashavad moshk ze dastat khali
…. ank be-angosht namay-e rokh-e to
ze angosht za’faran naruyad ja’i
‘... you get tied up [in] the ringlet of that beloved
Whoever is deprived of musk from your hand
... that ... point to my face with your finger
Nowhere [else] will saffron grow out of a finger’
Around the body in lustre, two Persian quatrains:
sanam baz cho zad be-to bala-ye akhar
ta bar to rasad ze man du’a-ye akhar
dard-e del-e rish-e man namanad penhan
sar bar zanad in bovad be-ja-ye akhar
‘If your beloved hits you [i.e the heart] once again,
So that there is a final call from me
The pain in my wounded heart will not remain concealed,
It will rise and that will be its end.’
dush az sar-e zolfi botanash dideh
van khal-e siyah ze moshk-e nabash dideh
vandar bar-e khod mast o kharabash dideh
darda ki be-din za’f kamanash dideh
‘Last night I saw the ringlet of my beloved,
And that black mole [that looked like] pure musk,
And lying down next to me, I saw her, intoxicated.
How painful that in such a moment of weakness, I saw her eyebrows.’
The Kufic band, repetition of a few words, mainly:
al-ghalib ‘The triumphant’
On the outer wall, around the rim in Lustre, two Arabic quatrain:
al-ufuq al-ghiram lana ghiram
tafakhar ‘azm tara bihi al-kalam
nasim al-rayh [min] anfas ruhi
‘alayka ka-ma [‘ala salma salami]
‘Verily, our passion is beyond power,
Words fly away carrying pride of will
A breeze of air from the breath of my soul,
I greet you as I greet Salma.’
ya dha’l-ma’ani wa ma’dan al-adab
sayyidana wa ibn sayyid al-‘arab
anta ‘alim be-kull wa mu’jaza
wa lu sa’alna sawaka lam yujab
‘O the one who possesses qualities and is a mine of good breeding
Our Lord and master of the Arabs
You are learned in everything and [in] miracles
Even if we ask, apart from you [no one] answers’
The above quatrain is attributed to the famous Arab poet al-Mutanabbi (d. 965) and is on a lustre bowl in the Islamic Museum in Tehran (93.S), dated sha’ban 607 (January-February 1211).
Followed by:
al-‘izz al-da’im wa [a]l-iqbal …
‘Perpetual glory and prosperity …’
The inscription in Kufic against lustre: Repeat of a few words (not all decipherable), mainly either al-baqa ‘Long-life’ or al-ghalib ‘Triumphant’