Plate with Design of Arabic Inscription in Kufic Script, 10th century, Samanid dynasty, Persian, 819–1005, Nishapur, Khorasan province. Glazed and slip-painted earthenware, 4.4 x 37.8 cm. Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase, 283:1951.

Painted in the long, elegant strokes of Kufic script, this plate's inscription is among the most beautiful examples of calligraphy from the early Islamic period. The elegant inscription decrees that "Planning before work protects you from regret." The plate is one of a group of vessels that admonish the owners and their guests to be assiduous, careful, and virtuous in simple yet profound mottoes by which one might live a good life. The white slip body on which the calligraphy appears is related to Chinese porcelains and stonewares imported to Baghdad, the seat of power and commerce in the early Islamic world. The white slip, or liquefied clay, was painted over the surface of the vessel to mask its coarse body and to suggest coveted Eastern porcelains. Applying ornamental calligraphy to the expansive white surface created designs that were bold and appealing.