A Samanid slip-painted pottery Bowl East Persia or Transoxiana, 9th/ 10th Century
Sold for £5,400 inc. premium
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Find your local specialistA Samanid slip-painted pottery Bowl
East Persia or Transoxiana, 9th/ 10th Century
East Persia or Transoxiana, 9th/ 10th Century
25.5 cm. diam.
Footnotes
Very little is known and published on this type of figural slip-painted ware, apart from the very few examples that have recently appeared at auction.
In Persian legend, the simurgh is a gigantic, winged monster in the shape of a bird; a kind of peacock with the head of a dog and the claws of a lion. Its natural habitat is a place with plenty of water. According to legend, the creature is so old that it has seen the world destroyed three times over. In all that time, the simurgh has learned so much that it is thought to possess the knowledge of all ages. It appears as far back as the Sasanian period in textiles and metalwork, and is frequently seen in later manuscripts of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh.
This would appear to be the largest bowl of this type ever to have appeared at auction. A close comparison in size and decoration, can be drawn with a bowl that was recently offered for sale at Christie's,Islamic Art and Manuscripts, 29th April 2003, lot 74. Other examples include a small bowl depicting a heraldic lion (Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 24th April 2002, lot 250); a large one depicting fish (Christie's, Islamic Art and Manuscripts, 15th October 2002, lot 202); one with inscription (Sotheby's, Arts of the Islamic World, 12th October 2000, lot 122); and another bowl depicting two simurgh, Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 6th April 2006, lot 126.