Plate
9th–10th century
Object PlaceRayy, Iran
Medium/TechniqueEarthenware with green decoration in opaque white glaze
DimensionsOverall: 4 x 36.5 cm (1 9/16 x 14 3/8 in.)
Credit LineUniversity Museum—M. F. A. Persian Expedition
Accession number35.858
On View
Not on viewClassificationsCeramics
Collections
This plate was found during excavations of the medieval city of Rayy, near present-day Tehran. The surface of the plate is covered with an opaque white glaze made with tin oxide, a technique widely used in the early Islamic world, where the whiteness of Chinese porcelain was admired and imitated. Decoration is minimal: an Arabic inscription in green Kufic script, reading “Blessing to the owner.” The letters are slightly fuzzy at the edges, where the color has seeped into the glaze. Likely used at a social gathering, the plate’s auspicious message would have been gradually revealed as guests enjoyed their meal and the generosity of their host.
Inscriptions"Blessings to the owner"Provenance1934, excavated at Rayy (Cheshmeh Ali Tepe, in present-day Iran), by the University Museum-M.F.A. Persian Expedition; 1935, assigned to the MFA as part of the division of excavated objects. (Accession Date: June 6, 1935)Islamic I (7th–10th century)
Islamic II (10th–12th century)
12th–13th century
late 12th–early 13th century
early 13th century
1310 A.D./ A.H. 710
Islamic I (7th–10th century)
about 1435–75
11th–12th century