Jakabffy Imre szerk.: Az Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyvei 13. (Budapest, 1971)
HOPP FERENC MÚZEUM - MUSÉE FERENC HOPP - Horváth, Tibor: Report on the Activities of the Hopp Museum of Eastern Asiatic Arts in 1969 and 1970
N E W A C Q U I S I T I 0 N S Fig. /. Tran. Pottery bowl Deep bowl, formed of linegrained whitish clay. The foot is offset, the sides are straight, the mouth is slightly beul. The surface of the bowl is covered with opaque white glaze. The outside oi the foot shows carved vertical lines. The decoration is mostly plastic. Below the rim there is an undecipherable Kufic inscription. Tin» main zone of decoration is beneath this band and it consists of large round medallions. Each of these contains a seated figure in relief: a figure seen from the front, holding a flute; a figure holding a stringed instrument: an indiscernible figure; two figures facing each other, with cups or vases in their hands: and two other seated figures. The two latter figures have been restored. The space around the figures and among the medallions is filled with scrollwork. A band of stylized lilies goes around beneath this main zone of decoration. The bowl is covered with yellowish while glaze within and without, doited with several underglazc blue patches. The bowl piay be linked to the white pottery produced in Tran under Chinese influence since the mid-12th century. Together with Rayy, one of the main centres for the imitation of Chinese porcelain was Kashan at that time. When treating this bowl, we must take into consideration that ils sides are not translucent and its form is not such that could be ranged to the mentioned period and centres. On the other hand, the seated figures holding various musical instruments show the influence of the somewhat later Mesopotamian miniature painting. As Rayy was taken by the Mongols in 1221, we must presume for the time being that the bowl was made in the second half of the 13th or in the early 1 41 h century in Sultanabad. Already in the 13th century a fair number of pottery was produced in Sultanabad in the Kashan manner. 'The moulded decoration was rather frequent on the wares of Sultanabad. from this region K. Kidinel published a moulded figure of a silling lute-player (Islamische Kleinkunst. Braunschweig, 1963. p.ll9,Abb.77). The bowl was presented to the museum by F.. de linger, London, to commemorate the oOeth anniversary of the museum. Height: 9.5 cm. Diam. : 13.2 cm., Inv. No.: 09.45. L. F.
