Holding Museum:

The British Museum

Date of Object:

Hegira 6th century /AD 12th century

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Blue, green and manganese-purple glazed and incised pottery.

Provenance:

Raqqa, northern Syria.

A large round ceramic dish glazed in blue, green and manganese-purple with incised decoration.The figure dominating the centre of the dish is a harpy, a fantastical animal with the body of a bird and a human head. Dishes of this type would have been used as tableware and were a cheaper alternative to metal plates and bowls.

How provenance was established:

Lane (1947) attributed 'laqabi ware' to Iran, but Porter (1981) has shown that in terms of shape, body and design this type of ceramic was more likely to have been produced in northern Syria.