Green bowl with decoration of two fish
after treatment, interior Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
after treatment, interior Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

This round, shallow, shiny light green bowl has a low round base. The center of the bowl is wide and fairly flat. Two identical raised fish designs with textured scales decorate the center of the bowl. They each “swim” in a U-shape with their heads and tails raised, each fish’s head following the other fish’s head in a circular shape. Closer to the rim, the bowl has a ridged pattern radiating out toward the edge. The rim of the bowl is decorated with many evenly spaced groupings of four raised dots.

Gallery Text

As central control weakened in the Abbasid Empire, regional dynasties arose to support, challenge, or redefine the authority of the caliph in Baghdad. The arts flourished in many centers, and wealthy merchant and professional classes emerged. A dramatic increase in productivity and innovation and an unprecedented expansion of figural decoration characterize the arts of this period.

A transforming event was the influx of Turkic and Mongol peoples from Central and Inner Asia. Most of the objects in this case were created in lands ruled by the most important of the Turkic dynasties, the Great Seljuks (1038–1157), and their immediate successors, the Atabegs. The Mongol invasions into Islamic lands began in the early 1200s and culminated in the 1258 sack of Baghdad. Eventually, the Mongols established their rule as the Yuan dynasty in China, the Chagatay Khanate in Central Asia, the Golden Horde Khanate in southern Russia, and the Ilkhanid dynasty (1256–1335) in greater Iran. The integration of a vast Eurasian territory into the Mongol Empire facilitated commerce and communication, bringing fresh Chinese inspiration into Islamic art.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1932.63
Title
Imitation Celadon Bowl with Fish
Classification
Vessels
Work Type
vessel
Date
14th century
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Iran
Period
Ilkhanid period
Culture
Persian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/216921

Location

Location
Level 2, Room 2550, Art from Islamic Lands, The Middle East and North Africa
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Molded and lead-glazed earthenware
Technique
Glazed
Dimensions
D. 6 x Dia. 22 cm (2 3/8 x 8 11/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
H. Kevorkian, New York, NY, (by 1932), gift; to Fogg Art Museum, 1932.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of H. Kevorkian
Accession Year
1932
Object Number
1932.63
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
By uniting East and West Asia for almost a century, the Mongol Empire allowed for active trade along the major routes. Iranian potters successfully imitated various types of East Asian ceramics. Here a pale greenish glaze covers a fritware dish, emulating, at least in appearance, Chinese celadon wares.

Publication History

  • Tony Sigel, Core-drill sampling with the Sherline milling machine, Core-drill sampling with the Sherline milling machine, ed. Emily Hamilton and Kari Dodson, American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works (https://resources.culturalheritage.org/osg-postprints/v23/sigel/, 2016), 23, Pages 309-321, Figure 13, Page 318; Figure 14, Page 318

Exhibition History

  • Islamic Art From the Collections of the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 08/01/1974
  • Islamic Art: Drawings, Calligraphies and Objects, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 06/29/1983 - 09/25/1983
  • Transformations: Asia East and West, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 12/19/1992 - 02/14/1993
  • Earthly Paradise: Gardens in Islamic Art, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 05/08/1993 - 08/22/1993
  • Overlapping Realms: Arts of the Islamic World and India, 900-1900, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 12/02/2006 - 03/23/2008
  • Re-View: Arts of India & the Islamic Lands, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 04/26/2008 - 06/01/2013
  • 32Q: 2550 Islamic, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Subjects and Contexts

  • Google Art Project

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu