This striking turquoise‑and‑black bowl belongs to a group of ceramics known as Kubachi ware. Named for a village in the Caucasus where this pottery was discovered in quantity, such wares may have been produced elsewhere in northwestern Iran. This bowl— painted in black under a pale turquoise glaze, with an incised pattern of spirals and floral elements—is among the earliest examples.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Open Access
As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.
API
Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:Bowl
Date:second half 15th century
Geography:Attributed to Iran, probably Tabriz
Medium:Stonepaste; painted in black under turquoise glaze, incised (Kubachi ware)
Dimensions:H. 5 3/4 in. (14.6 cm) Diam. 12 3/8 in. (31.4 cm)
Classification:Ceramics
Credit Line:Mr. and Mrs. Isaac D. Fletcher Collection, Bequest of Isaac D. Fletcher, 1917
Object Number:17.120.70
Mr. and Mrs. Isaac D. Fletcher, New York (until his d. 1917; bequeathed to MMA)
Asia Society. "Iranian Ceramics," May 3, 1963–September 12, 1963, no. 76.
Kelekian, Dikran G. The Kelekian Collection of Persian and Analogous Potteries 1885-1910. Paris: Herbert Clarke, 1910. ill. pl. 81 (related).
Dimand, Maurice S. A Handbook of Muhammedan Decorative Arts. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1930. pp. 135–36, 146, ill. fig. 80 (b/w).
Harari, Ralph, and Richard Ettinghausen. A Survey of Persian Art from Prehistoric Times to the Present, edited by Arthur Upham Pope. vol. I–VI. London and New York: Oxford University Press, 1938. v. II, p. 1652, ill. v. V, pl. 786A.
Dimand, Maurice S. A Handbook of Muhammadan Art. 2nd rev. and enl. ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944. p. 206, ill. fig. 135 (b/w).
Lane, Arthur. Later Islamic Pottery: Persia, Syria, Egypt, Turkey. London: Faber and Faber, 1957. pp. 35–36, ill. pl. 20B.
Wilkinson, Charles K. Iranian Ceramics. New York: Asia House Gallery, 1963. no. 76, p. 135, ill. (b/w).
Lukens, Marie G. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide to the Collections: Islamic Art. vol. 9. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1965. p. 24, ill. fig. 34.
Soustiel, Jean, Charles Kiefer, and Henry-Pierre Fourest. La Ceramique Islamique. Le Guide du connaisseur. Fribourg, Suisse: Office du Livre, 1985. pp. 210–11, ill. fig. 236 (b/w).
Jenkins-Madina, Marilyn, Suzanne G. Valenstein, and Julia Meech-Pekarik. "The Metropolitan Museum of Art." In Oriental Ceramics: The World's Great Collections. vol. 12. Tokyo: Kodansha International Ltd., 1977. no. 92, pp. 271, 314, ill. pl. 92 (color), profile in b/w.
Jenkins-Madina, Marilyn. "Islamic Pottery: A Brief History." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, vol. 40, no. 4 (Spring 1983). no. 41, pp. 36–37, ill. pl. 41 (color).
Welch, Stuart Cary. The Islamic World. vol. 11. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987. pp. 82–83, ill. fig. 61 (color).
Lentz, Thomas W., and Glenn D. Lowry. "Persian Art and Culture in the Fifteenth Century." In Timur and the Princely Vision. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1989. p. 227, ill. fig. 83 (b/w).
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
The Met's collection of Islamic art is one of the most comprehensive in the world and ranges in date from the seventh to the twenty-first century. Its more than 15,000 objects reflect the great diversity and range of the cultural traditions from Spain to Indonesia.
