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Fragment of a Shiny Luster Bowl

10th century
Not on view
Although only a fragment of the vessel, a bowl, this piece still elicits wonderment for the superior shininess of its luster paint. Such shifts of color and iridescence, termed in Abbassid period Arabic sources, respond to expectations of wonderment termed encountered in written descriptions of viewing natural and human-made marvels. Luster ceramics responded to the desire for both luxurious and wonder-inducing objects.

The soft and creamy yellow body fabric of this object is characteristic of Iraqi ceramics of the ninth and tenth century and has been associated with Basra based on its similarity to that of kiln furniture attributed to that city in the Met’s collection although this provenance is undocumented.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Fragment of a Shiny Luster Bowl
  • Date: 10th century
  • Geography: Attributed to Iraq
  • Medium: Earthenware; luster-painted on opaque white glaze
  • Classification: Ceramics
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1908
  • Object Number: 08.256.257
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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