Bowl Fragment with Rosette Emblem

This ceramic bowl fragment is covered with sgraffito, a decorative technique that involves applying a colored slip or glaze to a piece of pottery and then incising it to reveal the contrasting color of the clay underneath. The original piece was likely commissioned for someone in the Mamluk military government. The center depicts a six-petaled rosette, a common emblem used by members of the Mamluk court. An Arabic inscription on the side is a common dedication to patrons that begins: “One of the things made for.”