Art Institute of Chicago

Dish with a Prophetic Hadith

Ibn Haji 'Imad Ali

Date

Qajar dynasty (1796–1925), dated 1238 AH/1822 CE

Medium

Fritware, painted in blue under a transparent glaze

Culture

Iran

Department

Arts of Asia

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The color palette and naturalistic designs of this dish are a testament to the enduring influence of Chinese porcelain on ceramics of the Islamic world. This dish features floral decorations in a naturalistic Chinese style and the traditional blue-and-white color scheme. The central calligraphic motif of the dish, offering pious sayings, is written in Arabic script, but its shape recalls Chinese characters. Chinese influence on Islamic ceramics can be seen as early as the 9th century, and it continued well into the 19th century, as evidenced by this dish. On the exterior of the dish, the artist, Ibn Hajj ‘Imad Ali, signed his name and provided a date, 1822/1823 (converted from the given date of the Islamic calendar, 1238).

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