

Bowl with a figure and birds, 10th century
Attributed to Iran, Nishapur
Earthenware; polychrome decoration under transparent glaze (buff ware)
Attributed to Iran, Nishapur
Earthenware; polychrome decoration under transparent glaze (buff ware)
H. 3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm), Diam. 7 7/8 in. (20 cm)
Rogers Fund, 1938 (38.40.290)
Common among the buff ware bowls that depict human figures are those holding drinking vessels. In this case, a man wearing a green tunic under a multicolored, skirtlike garment holds a fluted goblet in his right hand. The imagery on these bowls is thought to have derived from metalwork of the Sasanian period (third to seventh century) in Iran. The distinctive yellow and green glazes of the buff ware group are particularly well preserved on this example.







