Luster Bowl with a Ram, and “Baraka” (Blessing) Written Under the Base
Not on view
This luster vessel, allegedly found in Iran at Rayy, was likely traded from Iraq to northern Iran. The luster technique of painting involves the use of metallic oxides and the firing of the object at a reduced atmosphere (with low oxygen in the kiln). In the first two centuries of its application (ninth–tenth century C.E.), luster is only known to have been produced in Iraq.
Luster likely elicited a sense of wonder in the viewer, as the metal particles of the paint would have shined and changed color according to the light cast upon them. The Arabic word baraka, or blessing, painted in luster on the bottom of the bowl, adds an auspicious quality to the desired everyday experience of handling such vessels, be it in their making, purchasing, gifting, display, or their use in serving food.
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