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Bowl with Dragons

dated 607 AH/1210 CE
Not on view
Snakelike dragons, their heads confronting one another, run concentrically and intertwine on this bowl. Dragons were associated with the pseudo-planet al-Jawzahr, able to cause and reverse eclipses by swallowing moon and sun, and were thus both terrifying and beneficial, protective, and apotropaic. The bowl may have had a perceived beneficial quality, amplified by a twice-inscribed benediction:

May your power and glory be perpetual / May your good fortune surpass all limits / So that everything in this bowl brings you enjoyment / Oh master of the world, may it prolong your life.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Bowl with Dragons
  • Date: dated 607 AH/1210 CE
  • Geography: Attributed to Iran
  • Medium: Stonepaste; glazed in opaque white, luster-painted, part of the inscription scratched in luster
  • Dimensions: H. 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm)
    Diam. 8 7/16 in. (21.4 cm)
    Wt. 15.3 oz. (433.8 g)
  • Classification: Ceramics
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1961
  • Object Number: 61.40
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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