Nishapur Figural Bowl (900s): Art, History and Details

Nishapur Figural Bowl (900s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Nishapur was founded as a Sasanian imperial city and ceramics produced here regularly incorporate elements from Sasanian metalware. The lively decoration on this bowl features four bearded figures surrounded by animals, birds, and angular script (possibly extending baraka, blessing). The central horse with a cheetah on his back suggests an imperial hunt, a common theme in Sasanian and Islamic art. The decorative motifs and figures employed on Nishapur polychrome ware reflect the rich cultural traditions in this part of northeastern Iran. Some vessels, like this one, depict the pastime of hunting, others reflect festivals celebrated by Muslims and Zoroastrians, and a few display Christian symbols.

Object facts

• Title: Nishapur Figural Bowl
• Date: 900s
• Culture: Iran, Nishapur, Samanid period (819–1005)
• Type: Ceramic
• Technique: Earthenware with underglaze decoration
• Dimensions: Overall: 8 x 35.6 cm (3 1/8 x 14 in.)
• Collection: Islamic Art
• Department: Islamic Art
• Accession number: 1959.249

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Lee, Sherman E. “Year in Review.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 46, no. 10 (December 1959): 210–231.
• Shepherd, Dorothy G. “Bacchantes in Islam.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 47, no. 3 (March 1960): 42–49.
• “Annual Report for the Year 1959.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 47, no. 6 (June 1960): 111–158.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.