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Persian, Seljuk style Tankard, 13th century glazed ceramic (Minai ware) 5 1/4 inches high W. K. Bixby Oriental Art Fund 163:1952 During the 12th and 13th centuries, the Persian city of Rayy was an important political, economic, and cultural center. Its variety of pottery products included the beautiful, but costly Minai wares. These thin-walled vessels were first glazed with an ivory or white ground, although some have a turquoise or blue underglaze, then embellished with figural decoration not unlike manuscript painting of the time. Minai vessels usually are adorned with figures, horsemen, or banquet scenes outlined in red or black. Five sphinxes circle the shoulder of this vessel, with a man at one end of the procession and a vine at the other. The Kufic inscription which runs down the handle may be trying to quote a phrase, but letters are missing and the last characters are nonsensical. The decorator may have been unschooled, attempting to copy an inscription seen on another vessel. |
