Dish, Iran or Afghanistan, 10th century, Samanid period. Earthenware painted under glaze. Size: H: 3.6 W: 21.0 cm. Museum Code: F1965.27. Freer and the Sackler (Smithsonian) Museums.

Among the most distinct and impressive examples of Persian ceramics are a group produced during the reign of the Samanids (819-1005) in Khurasan in northeastern Iran, present-day Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan. These vessels are embellished with inscriptions, usually in the form of a moralizing proverb. The inscription on this small plate reads, Excellence if the quality of the people of paradise.