Mold for conical bowl

Date1100-1200

ClassificationsCeramics

DimensionsOverall H: 4 inches; W: 6 inches;

Credit LineThe Avery Brundage Collectin

Terms

Object numberB60P2142

DescriptionAlthough molds had been used in ceramic manufacture for a long time, it was with the development of the artificial frit body in the eastern Islamic world that mold production enjoyed a creative renaissance. In this mold the decorative details and inscriptions are carved in reverse. Soft frit clay was then pushed into the crevices of the molds design to create the positive, finished piece, perhaps a lid. Its decoration includes pairs of figures drinking and feasting. Teardrop shapes filled with abstract decoration and inscribed blessings separate each pair. Significantly, this mold contains the signature of one ‘Abu Nasr, written in positive on the mold. This means it would have appeared in reverse on the finished product. It has been suggested that as molds were reused it was perhaps more important within the craft for the name of the maker to be known on the mold. His name could easily have been rubbed out when the piece came out of the mold, whereas the other, honorific inscriptions are clearly part of the design. Inscriptions: With Good Fortune and Blessing and Joy and Happiness and (God’s) Grace This bottle in the middle of a choice basin Brings for us the purest water [Drink] your fill for life from the water of this bottle Because you will find it pleasant and sweet. Fountain of healing [and] a gift (?) of water-colored Moon to its owner

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