Bowl with Musicians in a Garden

Checkerboard cypresses, a stylized canopy, and a flying bird on the luster bowl symbolize the garden pavilion where two women play the lute and possibly sing. They sport tattooed hands and wear earrings, drop-shaped diadems, and dresses ornamented with harpies and scrolls, which aid in the evocation of a luxurious setting. A larger assembly with an audience of ten people, or possibly singers, surrounding the 'ud player is depicted on the turquoise bowl. Bowls of fruit suggest the festive nature of the event

Credit: H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Horace Havemeyer, 1956