View of a circular bowl, decorated in softly metallic gold paint over an off-white base. The flattened rim is decorated in a scalloped pattern, with a large, floppy-eared hare surrounded by flowers in the centre. The outside is decorated with soft daubs of paint.
AKM684, Bowl with a hare, Front

© The Aga Khan Museum

Top view of a circular bowl, decorated in softly metallic gold paint over an off-white base. The rim is decorated with a scalloped pattern, while in the centre is a large, floppy-eared hare surrounded by flowers.
AKM684, Bowl with a hare, Top

© The Aga Khan Museum

Bottom view of a circular bowl, showing a slightly raised base and a flattened rim. The bowl is painted off-white, with circular lines and daubs of soft golden paint. There is an oval paper sticker on one edge that reads “H. Kevorkian Collection” with “2672” written on it in pencil.
AKM684, Bowl with a hare, Bottom

© The Aga Khan Museum

Side view of a circular bowl, decorated in softly metallic gold paint over an off-white base. The flattened rim is decorated in a scalloped pattern. The outside is mostly white, with soft daubs of golden paint. The base is small and slightly raised.
AKM684, Bowl with a hare, Side

© The Aga Khan Museum

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On Display
Bowl with a Hare
  • Accession Number:AKM684
  • Place:Egypt
  • Dimensions:20 cm
  • Date:11th century
  • Materials and Technique:fritware, lustre-painted
  • By the 10th century, the Fatimid capital of Cairo had become the centre of production for ceramics decorated in a metallic paint with a golden lustrous sheen (known as lustre ceramics). The striking visual compositions on these ceramics portray men and women, acrobats, and animals—such as this jovial long-eared hare—painted in fluid lines and lively naturalism. Their relatively “ordinary” subject matter and the golden tone of the lustre sheen set them apart from the earlier lustre ceramics in Iraq and later examples from Iran. This type of Fatimid lustre-glazed bowl was highly appreciated as an export product throughout the Mediterranean, and several similar bowls can still be seen adorning the exterior walls of churches in Pisa, Italy, from the late 11th and early 12th centuries.

Note: This online resource is reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis. We are committed to improving this information and will revise and update knowledge about this object as it becomes available.

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