Published 12th C. Raqqa Pottery Bowl, ex-Christie's

Middle East, Syria (Raqqa / Rakka), ca. 12th to 13th century CE. Wow! A beautiful, delicate bowl, with a narrow, tall foot and a flaring body that rises to a wide shoulder, a corseted neck, and a slightly flared mouth. The surface is painted with a large six-sided cobalt blue flower in tondo against a background of startling white that has attained sparkling iridescence with age. The exterior has a more complex motif of vertical blue stripes around the lower body and a ring of dense blue flowers with green leaves around the shoulder. The Syrian city of Raqqa was the home of Harun al-Rashid, Abbasid caliph and protagonist of The Thousand and One Nights, and, although he lived during the 9th century, this connection sparked 19th century interest in Raqqa's ceramics. Size: 5.3" W x 3.2" H (13.5 cm x 8.1 cm)

Published in Pal, Pratapaditya (ed.), "Islamic Art, the Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection", Los Angeles, 1973, nos. 107 and 108 pg. 60 (illustrated).

Provenance: private California, USA collection; purchased from Christie's of South Kensington, UK, October 18, 2002, Lot 168; ex-Nasli M. Heeramaneck, donated by Joan Palevsky

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#155856
Condition Report: Intact, with gorgeous craquelure and iridescence.