Pichet turquoise au bandeau épigraphié Lot n° 4

Eastern Iran, probably Bamiyan or Nichapur, 12th-13th century A siliceous ceramic jug with a handle and molded decoration under a turquoise glaze. The body is decorated with a wide band of epigraphic knotted kufic script, surmounting a frieze of foliate scrolls. The neck is belted with a band of braided ribbons. Condition: numerous visible fractures and small blockages. H. 17 cm Collection of the Ambassador B. This pitcher is characteristic of a group of specific pieces attributed to the site of Bamiyan in Afghanistan, without archaeological basis, or sometimes to that of Nichapur in Eastern Iran. Due to the technique of decoration using molds, different motifs can be found on several jugs, such as the braided band or the frieze of floral scrolls that can be seen on pieces from the Khalili collection. See for example Ernst Grube, Cobalt and Lustre, The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, Oxford and London, 1994, cat. 388-392, pp. 322-23. Expert L.S.