Bowl with calligraphic decoration

In the 10th and 11th centuries, a tradition of painting ceramics in thick colored slips (watered-down clay) became common practice in central and eastern Iran. These vessels were typically decorated with simple calligraphic lines, often containing blessings or pious insights, not unlike fortune cookie messages. Here the text reads, "[Generosity] is a disposition of the dwellers of Paradise... regret." This type of script is known as knotted Kufic, distinctive for its consistent baseline and embellished by small knots and twists in the staffs of the letters.

Credit: Gift of Harvey and Beth Plotnick