Bowl with figures

For a relatively short period during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Persian potters produced a distinctive type of ware that became known as minai (“enameled”). These elegant, lightweight, and thin-walled dishes, such as the bowl here, were painted in a rich palette of colors. They were typically decorated with scenes of people engaging in leisure activities in pleasant outdoor settings, with poetic verses on their inner and outer rims.

This bowl was made by a well-known potter named Abu Zayd al- Kashani, who signed his name on the outer rim and added the date. His inscription reads, “Written at the start of Muharram in 583 of the Hijri year. Long life to the owner. The reciter is the writer. [A]bu [Zayd].”