Day 159 - Lute player bowl
June 7, 2019
Gallery 453 contains works from Iran and central Asia made between the 9th and 13th centuries. Near the entrance to the gallery stands a three-feet-high incense burner from the Seljuk period and dated 1181-82. Made of cast bronze that was then engraved and pierced, it takes the form of what looks to me like a dog, its ears pricked up, its tongue lolling out. I then read the caption and discover that the dog is really a lion. Oh well...
It's a good introduction to some of the gallery's visual treats and objects of interest. I note, for example, a blue- and-white striped ewer with a polychrome top in the shape of a rooster's head, along with a nearly complete chess set -- one of the oldest in the world -- from 12th century Nishapur. There's also a large ceramic figure of a harpy, which, I learn, was seen as an auspicious figure in Seljuk Iran, although not in other cultures.
I'm struck again by the presence of Arabic inscriptions on everyday household objects. A bowl from Samarkand, for instance, bears the adage: "Forbearance is at first bitter to the taste, but in the end is sweeter than honey. Blessings." A nearby sign discusses the general importance in Islam of the written word and of literacy, stemming from the emphasis on reading the Qu'ran, as well as the specific use of inscriptions that uphold values appropriate to a rising merchant lass (frugality, planfulness). At the same time, though, I wonder how widespread literacy really was outside the middle and upper classes.
Today's object is a bowl, perhaps 9 inches in diameter, from late 12th century or early 13th century Iran. Glazed with a brilliant turquoise, with touches of crimson, gold, and other colors, its interior depicts a seated lute player. I'm uncertain of the musician's gender, but he or she wears an elaborately decorated robe, bracelets, and a headdress that appears to be encircled by a gold halo. His left hand holds the lute's neck up gracefully, his right hand plucks the instrument. In circles nearer to the rim of the bowl are arrayed ten attendants, mostly seated in cross-legged positions, but whose gestures and robes are otherwise individualized. To the right of the lute player are two bowls piled with fruit. It's an object that conjures up luxury, peace, abundance, and the pleasures of the senses.
It's a good introduction to some of the gallery's visual treats and objects of interest. I note, for example, a blue- and-white striped ewer with a polychrome top in the shape of a rooster's head, along with a nearly complete chess set -- one of the oldest in the world -- from 12th century Nishapur. There's also a large ceramic figure of a harpy, which, I learn, was seen as an auspicious figure in Seljuk Iran, although not in other cultures.
I'm struck again by the presence of Arabic inscriptions on everyday household objects. A bowl from Samarkand, for instance, bears the adage: "Forbearance is at first bitter to the taste, but in the end is sweeter than honey. Blessings." A nearby sign discusses the general importance in Islam of the written word and of literacy, stemming from the emphasis on reading the Qu'ran, as well as the specific use of inscriptions that uphold values appropriate to a rising merchant lass (frugality, planfulness). At the same time, though, I wonder how widespread literacy really was outside the middle and upper classes.
Today's object is a bowl, perhaps 9 inches in diameter, from late 12th century or early 13th century Iran. Glazed with a brilliant turquoise, with touches of crimson, gold, and other colors, its interior depicts a seated lute player. I'm uncertain of the musician's gender, but he or she wears an elaborately decorated robe, bracelets, and a headdress that appears to be encircled by a gold halo. His left hand holds the lute's neck up gracefully, his right hand plucks the instrument. In circles nearer to the rim of the bowl are arrayed ten attendants, mostly seated in cross-legged positions, but whose gestures and robes are otherwise individualized. To the right of the lute player are two bowls piled with fruit. It's an object that conjures up luxury, peace, abundance, and the pleasures of the senses.
The forbearance quote is interesting (and of course the bowl is lovely). On the one hand, yes, because as we forgive/tolerate others we learn to forgive ourselves. On the other hand, does this imply that Allah wants you to accept injustice?
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