Fragment of an Open Vessel

This fragment with unknown provenance was sampled to conduct neutron-activation analysis, which determined that the piece was manufactured at an unknown Syrian site. Similar polychrome underglaze-painted pieces are often called "Rusafa" (or "Resafa") ware, from a site in the Syrian Jazira (north-east Syria) from which some of them came into Western collections in the early twentieth century. However, archaeological investigations of the last hundred years have shown that similar wares were produced in different centers in northern Jazira, Syria, and Egypt, and serve as evidence for shared techniques and a common visual language that transcended political and dynastic boundaries.

The fragment depicts a bearded man with a turban wearing a striped robe.