A Seljuk monochrome moulded figural pottery Bowl. Persia, 12th Century

finely potted with lobed sides and slightly flaring rim on a short foot, the exterior moulded in low relief with a frieze of crowned human heads, the crowns with knot design and birds, decorated in a monochrome turquoise glaze - 14.5 cm. diam. - Estimate: £4,000 - 6,000

Footnote: Figures with similar features, high-cheekbones, flat nose, small mouth and strong chin, can be seen on painting, sculpture and ceramics of the Seljuk period. In the ceramic medium, a group of "bird bowls" show similar figures. For another identical bowl in the Nasser D. Khalili Collection, see Ernst Grube, Cobalt and Lustre. The first centuries of Islamic pottery, The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, Vol. IX, London, 1994, pp. 176-77, no. 172.

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Bonhams. Islamic and Indian Art, 6 Oct 2008. New Bond Street - www.bonhams.com