Artwork Page for Luster Bowl with Antelope

Details / Information for Luster Bowl with Antelope

Luster Bowl with Antelope

1000s
Measurements
Diameter: 25.4 cm (10 in.); Overall: 6.8 cm (2 11/16 in.)
Public Domain
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Location
116 Islamic
?

Did You Know?

The luster technique was transmitted by Iraqi potters to the Fatimid court in Cairo.

Description

The production of lusterware flourished in the prosperous Fatimid court in Cairo. The technique used metal oxides to paint designs onto a ceramic vessel. It was expensive and unpredictable but, if done correctly, would create a glistening effect. Fatimid lusterware motifs are quite varied, drawing on Greek and Christian themes, floral and vegetal designs, and a menagerie of animals. Some scenes focus on a single creature, as is the case with the antelope on this dish, while others evoke courtly themes of hunting or banquets.
The inside of a shallow ceramic bowl depicts a gold antelope and gold patterns on white. The antelope bends its legs in motion, its head and horns extending from the bowl's bottom onto the sides. Asymmetrical shapes filled with swirls and leaf shapes with stems fill the space around the antelope, up to the gold-lined rim. Some of the gold at the bowl's bottom, where the antelope's torso is, has worn away.

Luster Bowl with Antelope

1000s

Egypt, Fustat (Old Cairo), Fatimid period (909–1171)

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