Islamic Glazed Ceramic Bowl with Relief Inscription

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An Islamic glazed ceramic bowl with inscription attributed to Raqqa ware, produced during the Ayyubid dynasty (12-13th century) in the … Read more An Islamic glazed ceramic bowl with inscription attributed to Raqqa ware, produced during the Ayyubid dynasty (12-13th century) in the town of Raqqa in nowadays northeastern Syria. The bowl figures a generous volume with a rounded body tapered to the foot ring. The surface was glazed in a turquoise color with a blue-greenish tint and fine crackles, except the lower portion of the exterior, exposing the reddish-brown clay body. Inside the bowl, a ring of molded small fiddlehead motifs encircles a cobalt blue character written in Arabic "Isaac" on top of fine floral relief. The thinly applied glaze pooled in areas, creating variations of lovely shades. Around the exterior rim of the bowl, there is a band of relief Arabic words intertwined with painted cobalt-blue vines. The line is apparently an ayat from Quran, Surah Baqarah verse 255 "allahu la ilaha illa huwal hayyul qayyum". The translation is “Allah – there is no deity except Him".
We identified the origin of the bowl with our limited knowledge in Islamic pottery. The attribution is not absolute as the bowl could be made in Egypt in a later time in the style similar to Raqqa ware. See less