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Bowl
1350s-1400s




Gilded and enameled glass
H: 21.0 W: 35.0 cm
Syria

Purchase F1933.13

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Monumental in scale and exquisitely decorated, this deep bowl is characteristic of the finest glass production in late-fourteenth-century Syria. Its decorative frieze of fantastic animals—two griffins, two sphinxes, a lion, and three unicorns—is punctuated with the five-petal blazons of the Rasulid rulers of Yemen (1228–1454), identifying them as patrons of this vessel. In addition to its impressive size and sophisticated design, the bowl is remarkable for its enameling on both the exterior and interior surfaces.