Fragments of a Dish

The painted decoration of this fragment of a large mina’i dish required a complex process: the blue, black, and turquoise colors were painted before the adding of the overall glaze, while manganese and brown were painted on the already fired glaze. Even in a fragmentary state, one can identify a courtly scene, with a male and a female attendant with richly decorated robes, holding objects like rods (?) and vases, and a main figure whose robe shows a courtly inscribed armband or tiraz. The vegetal arabesque scrolls and other elements in the field are meant to suggest the setting, and probably allude to a tent or the interior of a pavilion.

Credit: Rogers Fund, 1966