Dish with sloping rim, pinkish-brown ground with black, brick-red, yellow and white colours. Decorated with a bold calligraphic design interspersed with circular scroll motifs with larger dots. In the centre a design of interlacing strap-work with dotted interstices in red-brick and yellow colour.
AKM541, Multicolored Bowl with Large Callgraphic Band

© The Aga Khan Museum

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On Display
Multicolored Bowl with Large Calligraphic Band
  • Accession Number:AKM541
  • Place:Uzbekistan, Samarqand
  • Dimensions:32.8 cm
  • Date:10th century
  • Materials and Technique:Earthenware, pinkish slip with polychrome decoration under a yellowish transparent glaze

Similar to the aphorism on AKM546, the one decorating the rim of this dish also reads “Generosity is the disposition of the dwellers of Paradise.” Also comparable is the method in which the dish is made and decorated with thin layers of coloured clay. But here the similarities end. The calligraphic composition on this dish is painted on a coloured background in a broad brush and fluid lines, and the space between the letters is filled with circles and abstract forms. The most significant aspect of this dish, however, is the sophisticated interlace at the centre of the dish with interweaving strapwork in the form of an eight-pointed star. This motif is the inspiration for the Aga Khan Museum logo.

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