Bowl with Four Phoenixes, Iran, 14th century. Fritware, green-gray slip, underglaze-painted, 8 1/2 x 4 in. (21.5 x 10.2 cm), The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, gift of Joan Palevsky (M.73.5.215) © LACMA

The Mongol invasions of Iran, beginning in 1220, and the subsequent period of Ilkhanid rule by the descendants of Genghis Khan (1256–1353) had an important impact on the technique and decoration of Persian pottery, as is demonstrated by this vessel. Such underglaze-painted bowls, which are often designated as Sultanabad wares after the western Iranian city where a number of these objects were discovered (although there is no proof that any of them were actually made there), perhaps most clearly reflect the impact of the new aesthetic. The hemispheric shape, exterior decoration of radiating petal-like designs, and subdued gray-green color scheme suggest that this pottery was inspired by imported Chinese celadon; the phoenix motif, in which the mythical birds are depicted in groups of two or more, may also represent a Chinese import.

Bibliography: Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.

Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.

The Legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly Art and Culture and Western Asia, 1256-1353.  New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002