Bowl decorated with parakeets, Ilkhanid Iran,... Lot 178

Bowl decorated with parakeets, Ilkhanid Iran, probably Kashan, late 13th - early 14th century Hollow-bodied bowl on a small circular foot, in siliceous ceramic with metallic lustre decoration highlighted in cobalt blue, depicting two parakeets set in foliage on either side of a blossoming lotus flower surmounted by a third bird in flight. On the outside, striated bands alternate with lines of Persian cursive inscriptions and chevron friezes. Diameter: 21 cm Some restorations. This delightful bird-decorated bowl illustrates the brilliance of Ilkhanid potters and the delicate taste of their patrons. The technique of metallic lustre enhanced with cobalt blue is well mastered here. The hollow shape of the piece, the presence of a beautiful lotus flower in full bloom in the center, and the radiating decoration on the outer wall evoking chrysanthemum petals, reveal the Sino influences so prevalent in Mongolian art. The decoration of birds on a dense background of vegetal scrolls echoes the ceramic facing tiles lining the walls of the dynasty's monuments, where the theme abounds. In this way, our birds seem to give new life to the numerous birds with hammered heads on the tiles of the mausoleum of Shaykh 'Abd el-Samad of Natanz (1308), which may have included parakeets, but whose mutilation leaves the mystery unresolved. A pair of parakeets also adorn a star-shaped tile produced using the same technique and preserved in the collections of the Musée du Louvre (OA 3883). Although the species is rare on ceramic decorations preserved to this day, the bird and its congener the parrot, with its legendary loquacity, hold an important place in Persian literature. It is, for example, the storyteller of the famous Tutinama, written in Iran in the 14th century. An Ilkhanid Lusterware Bowl with Budgerigars Patterns, Iran, probably Kashan, late 13th-early 14th century Philippe Magloire Collection - Lots 132 to 207