Splashed Ware Dish with Sgraffito Decoration

Reportedly found at the ancient trading center of Bamiyan in present-day Afghanistan, this type of dish, with incised design (Sgraffito) and “splashed” with glazes intended to run freely during the firing process became popular in eastern Iran during the Samanid dynasty (819-1005CE). Produced slightly later, this example demonstrates both the precision and spontaneity with which the potter approached their craft. Set within a border of arcaded panels, the central medallion takes the form of an endless knot, a motif found on clay panels from the Indus Valley Civilization (3200-2500 BCE), and whose infinite movement may still have contained mystical symbolism.