Bowl with Courtly Scene c. 1180 - 1220

Curator: Oh, look! What's your first impression of this ceramic bowl from the late 12th to early 13th century? Editor: It’s exquisite! There's such a dreamy quality to the painted figures… a whimsical air that just makes you want to smile, doesn't it? It almost feels as though it were a Renaissance interpretation of pre-Raphaelite themes, but something tells me that’s very, very wrong. Curator: Well, get ready for this! What we're looking at is an earthenware "Bowl with Courtly Scene." Scholars have determined it likely originated in Iran during the medieval period under Islamic rule. It’s housed right here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: Oh, interesting! It's decorative art... How does the cultural context inform its design, then? The rim's stylized kufic script, of course, gives a good indication... Curator: Indeed. During this time, miniature painting flourished. Notice how the figures—perhaps depicting courtly life or a royal celebration—are rendered almost as individual vignettes. There's a focus on humanism—although each of the personages looks essentially identical! Editor: So, what message did this imagery send within that specific court? Or was the bowl primarily a luxury item with perhaps broader, more symbolic value for its owner? I'd even like to suggest something of a feminist interpretation in those seated figures and the care devoted to portraying their lives, albeit in such a miniaturized, diminutive mode of production. But could those figures be royal children or cherubs? They don’t look especially authoritative. Curator: Exactly! And, of course, let’s not forget the materiality. It's earthenware. It wasn't considered the "highest" art, I feel sure. Which invites reflection about how gender and class interact in our ideas about design in any period. In what stories, exactly, do our “things” participate? Editor: It’s captivating how objects, even simple ones like bowls, contain universes of stories, and open doors to discussing history, art, and who gets to be remembered.