Central or northern Iran
Mina'i ware, composite body, opaque white glaze with gilding, overglaze painting
H. 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm), Diam. 7 3/8 in. (18.7 cm)
Purchase, Rogers Fund, and Gift of The Schiff Foundation, 1957 (57.36.4)
The central roundel with a sun symbol is surrounded by six circular medallions with symbols representing the moon and the planets Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and Saturn. The surrounding bands contain mounted horsemen and birds, geometric ornament, a row of seated courtiers and musicians with two enthroned personages, and an Arabic inscription in kufic script. A cursive Persian inscription surrounds the exterior. Representations of the planets and the zodiac signs were popular in Seljuq iconography. They are also seen on stone relief sculpture and inlaid metalwork and continued to be important motifs in later Islamic art.
