Harvard Art Museums > 2002.50.83: Bowl Inscribed with a Saying of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib Vessels Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Bowl Inscribed with a Saying of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib , 2002.50.83,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 22, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/165532. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2002.50.83 Title Bowl Inscribed with a Saying of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib Classification Vessels Work Type vessel Date 10th century Places Creation Place: Middle East, Iran, Nishapur Period Samanid period Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/165532 Physical Descriptions Medium Reddish earthenware covered in white slip and painted with black (manganese and iron) under clear lead glaze Technique Underglazed, painted Dimensions 6.1 x 21.5 cm (2 3/8 x 8 7/16 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood, Belmont, MA (by 1978-2002), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2002. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art Accession Year 2002 Object Number 2002.50.83 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description Written around the rim of this bowl in a “new style” Kufic, with ascenders deflected abruptly to the left, is an epigram in Arabic attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, praising knowledge and manly virtue: “Knowledge is the noblest of personal qualities, and love is the highest of pedigrees”. Pear-shaped ornament rising out of the last letter of the last word marks the end of the inscription. Written across the center is a single Arabic word, ahmad, which appears frequently on Samanid epigraphic bowls. In this context it is usually construed not as the signature of a potter but as a blessing: “most praiseworthy.” Proverbs praising knowledge and exhorting the owner to various forms of virtuous conduct appear frequently on these elegantly inscribed epigraphic wares, suggesting that they were appreciated by a class of users who placed high value on learning and ethical behavior. On the interior and exterior of this well-potted bowl, the entire pinkish-buff ceramic body, including the beveled, slightly concave base, has been covered in white slip and clear glaze. The vessel is fragmentary; the last word of the inscription has been partially reconstructed on a plaster fill. Published Catalogue Text: In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art , written 201310 Bowl inscribed with a saying of ʿAli ibn Abi Talib Iran, Nishapur, Samanid period, 10th century Reddish earthenware covered in white slip and painted with black (manganese and iron) under clear lead glaze 6.1 × 21.5 cm (2 3/8 × 8 7/16 in.) 2002.50.83 Written around the rim of this bowl in a “new style” Kufic, with ascenders deflected abruptly to the left, is an epigram in Arabic attributed to ʿAli ibn Abi Talib, the son-in- law of the Prophet Muhammad, praising knowledge and manly virtue: “Knowledge is the noblest of personal qualities, and love is the highest of pedigrees” (al-ʿilm ashraf al-aḥsāb wʾal-mawadda ashbak al-ansāb).[1] A pear-shaped ornament rising out of the last letter of the last word (al-ansāb) marks the end of the inscription. Written across the center is a single Arabic word, aḥmad, which appears frequently on Samanid epigraphic bowls. In this context it is usually construed not as the signature of a potter but as a blessing: “most praiseworthy.” Proverbs praising knowledge and exhorting the owner to various forms of virtuous conduct appear frequently on these elegantly inscribed epigraphic wares, suggesting that they were appreciated by a class of users who placed high value on learning and ethical behavior. On the interior and exterior of this well-potted bowl, the entire pinkish-buff ceramic body, including the beveled, slightly concave base, has been covered in white slip and clear glaze. The vessel is fragmentary; the last word of the inscription has been partially reconstructed on a plaster fill. Mary McWilliams [1] Other Samanid epigraphic wares with the same saying are listed in Ghouchani 1986, 9. Publication History Mary McWilliams, ed., In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, exh. cat., Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2013), pp. 175-176, cat. 10, ill. Exhibition History In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/31/2013 - 06/01/2013 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
