DavidsSamlingGennem24År

22/1974 Bowl Northeastern Persia, 10th century Reddish clay body decorated under the glaze in white, brown and red slip. H:10, Diam:26.5 Pottery of a simple vigour and beauty was made in northeastern Persia during the 9th and 10th centuries the like of which has hardly been seen since. On bowls and dishes covered with a white slip, potters from the region around Nishapur and Samarkand painted pat­ terns based primarily on the Arabic Kufic script. It would appear that the very simple decorations in dark brown are the oldest, while the more elaborate types of script - as on the bowl illustrated and incorporating foliage and several colours - are a little later. Variants are also known in which a dark brown slip forms the background for white decorations, and greenish nuances also occur. Inscriptions on this type of pottery, which is well represented in the Museum, are difficult to read on ac­ count of the stylized form. In this case it has been inter­ preted as: “He who believes in the covenant with God is benevolent towards his dependants.” The fact that the inscriptions are executed in Kufic calligraphy that is very hard to interpret makes it probable that pottery of this kind was made for the Arabic-speaking upper clas­ ses. Such pleasure as the local inhabitants derived from it must have been confined to the undeniably splendid graphic effect.

2 2 /1 9 7 4 S k å l N o r d ø s tlig e P e rs ie n , 10. å r h u n d re d e

R ø d lig le rs k æ r v d e k o r e r e t u n d e r g la s u re n m e d h v id , b r u n o g rø d b e g itn in g . H :1 0 , D ia m :2 6 ,5

I d e t n o r d ø s tlig e P e rs ie n fre m s tille d e s i d e t 9. o g 10 . å r h u n d re d e k e r a m ik a f e n e n k e l k r a ft o g s k ø n ­ h e d , s o m n æ p p e e r se t sid e n . P å sk å le o g fa d e d æ k k e t a f e n h v id b e g itn in g m a le d e p o tte m a g e r e fra e g n e n o m k r in g N is h a p u r o g S a m a r k a n d m ø n ­ s tre , s o m p r im æ r t b e s to d a f d e n a ra b is k e k u f i- s k rift. N o g e t k u n n e ty d e p å , at d e h e lt e n k le d e k o ­ r a tio n e r i m ø r k e b r u n t e r d e æ ld ste , m e n s m e re e la b o re re d e s k r if tty p e r , s o m p å d e n a fb ild e d e sk å l m e d b la d v æ r k o g fle re fa rv e r, e r lid t se n e re . D e r fin d e s i ø v r ig t o g s å v a ria tio n e r , h v o r e n m ø r k e ­ b r u n b e g itn in g e r b a g g r u n d fo r h v id e d e k o r a tio ­ n e r, lig e s o m g rø n lig e fa rv e n u a n c e r f o r e k o m m e r . I n d s k r if te r n e p å d e n n e ty p e k e ra m ik , s o m er y d e r s t v e lr e p ræ s e n te r e t i m u s e e t, e r sv æ re a t læ se p å g r u n d a f d e n s tilis e re d e f o rm . D e n e r i d e tte tilfæ ld e ty d e t s o m : » D e n d e r tr o r p å p a g te n m e d G u d e r g a v m ild m o d sin e u n d e r g iv n e « . A t s e n te n ­ s e rn e e r u d f ø r t i e n m e g e t s v æ rt o p fa tte lig k u fis k k a llig ra fi s a n d s y n lig g ø r , a t a f ta g e r g r u p p e n h a r v æ r e t d e n a ra b is k ta le n d e o v e rk la s s e ; d e lo k a le k u n n e n æ p p e g læ d e sig o v e r a n d e t e n d d e n u n æ g ­ te lig p r a g tf u ld e g ra fis k e v ir k n in g .

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