Bowl Inscribed with Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad and 'Ali ibn Abi Talib

Following the Prophet Muhammad’s example, the Islamic polity, or caliphate, was ruled by a political and religious leader titled the caliph, or “successor” to the Prophet. Muslims eventually developed a monarchic system for controlling the succession of caliphs. The four centuries of the early Islamic era witnessed the establishment—and unraveling—of the universal caliphates of the Umayyad (661–750) and Abbasid (750–1258) dynasties. The range of the objects in this case illustrates the Islamic empire’s rapid expansion and the assimilation of peoples and artistic practices. A hot-worked glass vessel and a green-glazed pottery cup demonstrate continuity with late Roman traditions, while the figural imagery and inscriptions on tenth-century polychrome pottery vessels from eastern Iran underscore the continued vitality of pre-Islamic cultural traditions there. The creation of coinage bearing only inscriptions at the turn of the seventh century signals the unprecedented stature that Arabic calligraphy acquired, as the script itself became a symbol of the faith. Arabic inscriptions decorating ceramics produced in Central Asia proclaim the owner’s literacy and Muslim identity. Samanid epigraphic wares usually reproduce benedictory phrases and popular proverbs. More rarely, they record sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad and his companions. This bowl features two such sayings: the one in black is attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, and the one in red to ʿAli, the Prophet’s son-in-law and the fourth orthodox caliph. The words “prosperity” and “health” were the artist’s additions.