Collection de l’architecte iranien Mohsen Foroughi (1907-1983), Téhéran

Collection de Monsieur G.B., Paris, acquis auprès de ce dernier en décembre 1961

Puis par descendance

Samanid-period ceramics (819–999) decorated with calligraphic inscriptions originate primarily from the regions of Transoxiana and Khorasan, notably from Samarkand and Nishapur, which were major centres of production in the 9th and 10th centuries. Workshops mastered refined firing and glazing techniques, producing remarkable pieces covered with a fine ivory slip and painted with calligraphic decoration in slip. Arabic inscriptions in Kufic script occupy a central place in this production and are particularly suited to the decoration of these conical bowls with broad rims. Legibility is often secondary to aesthetic effect, and, as here, the inscriptions are frequently difficult to decipher: the word “patience” (al-sabr) is visible in this example. The inscriptions are almost always aphorisms in the Arabic language or propitiatory wishes. These works bear witness to a synthesis of technical expertise and calligraphic refinement. Superb examples are preserved, for instance, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. 65.106.2) and at the Cité de la Céramique in Sèvres (MNC26750). See also a dish recently sold at Bonhams, London, 12 November 2025, lot 26.