Collection record · Everyday wonders
Bowl
The collection record classifies this work as ceramic. It is dated 1000s. Recorded culture or place: Fatimid Egypt, Fustat.
Explore the object recordOBJECT RECORD
A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Bowl
- Date
- 1000s
- Culture / origin
- Fatimid Egypt, Fustat
- Materials and technique
- earthenware with luster-painted design
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 12 cm (4 3/4 in.); Overall: 4.6 cm (1 13/16 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1915.642
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
Lusterware
The theme of light is a dominant element in Islamic art. In ceramics, works made with a reflective metallic glaze, known as luster, were prized throughout the Islamic world and beyond. Developed first in Basra, Iraq, during the 700s with the rise of Islam along with sumptuary laws prohibiting the use of precious metal vessels, lusterware techniques soon spread to different regional centers, notably Málaga and Valencia in Spain.
Lusterware ceramics were created through a double-firing process: the first firing of the vessel with a lead and tin oxide glaze produced the smooth white ground, meant to emulate Chinese porcelain. Patterns were then painted on the white vessel with a glaze of copper and other metal oxides. Refiring at a low temperature yielded an iridescent luster. Tonalities varied from one region to another.
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Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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