Bowl with Flying Bird Design

second half 13th–14th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 455

A group of ceramics produced in fourteenth-century Iran has traditionally been associated with the city of Sultanabad, where many examples were found. These so-called Sultanabad wares, however, comprise many differing types – and thus far no kilns have been found at the site. Nearly hemispherical in form, this thin-walled stonepaste Sultanabad bowl stands on a low foot and is decorated with a cobalt blue bird in flight. A multi-tiered border frames the bird, and the bowl’s exterior is decorated with abstracted lotus petals in a design borrowed from Chinese ceramics.

Artwork Details

Title: Bowl with Flying Bird Design
Date: second half 13th–14th century
Geography: Attributed to Iran
Medium: Stonepaste; blue, black, and turquoise painted under transparent glaze(Sultanabad ware)
Dimensions: H. 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm)
Diam. 7 13/16 in. (19.8 cm)
Classification: Ceramics
Credit Line: The Friends of the Department of Islamic Art Fund, 1972
Object Number: 1972.91
Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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