According to the historian ‘Ala al-Din ‘Ata-
Malik Juvayni d. 1283 AD the city of Bamiyan
suffered great retribution in 1221-2 AD at the
hands of the Mongol Emperor Chingiz Khan,
because his favorite grandson Mutugen, son of
Chaghatay was killed in that city. Chingiz Khan
gave orders that every living creature should be
killed and no prisoners be taken; and that
henceforth no living creature should inhabit the
place henceforth. Such a catastrophe might be
good reason for the number of preserved pieces
found from that area.
The incised wares of Eastern Ancient Iran
(present day Afghanistan) have only emerged in
fairly recent archeological publications. They
represent a very widespread and diverse
manufacture. Significant quantities have
survived
in very good condition, like the associated
fritwares.
This dish resembles those first reported from the
site of Bamiyan (see Gardin, 1957; especially pls
2-3). Its form and decoration derive from
metalwork. It has a gently sloping cavetto and
near vertical rim. This dish distinguishes itself by
its similarity to the originally published examples
and rests on a footring. Some similar pieces
have
three conical feet upon which they stand in
addition to the footring, which appear to have
been an afterthought on the design.
This bold earthenware dish has decoration
incised (hence “Sgraffiato”) through a white slip,
with lively coloring in purple and green bringing
a warm ethnic energy to the piece, under a
transparent glaze. The main decorative motif is a
geometric rosette encircled by arabesque
scrolling and further surrounded by an outer-
ring of decoration of teardrop shaped leaves.
For comparable examples see Oliver Watson,
Ceramics from Islamic Lands, cataloging the Al-
Sabah Collection in the Kuwait National
Museum,
2004. cat. Ie.1.
Also Earnst J. Grube, Cobalt and Lustre, The
Nasser D. Khallili Collection of Islamic Art, 1994.
- (AMD.175)
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