Lot 653 D α

An Iranian fritware model of a bird

Auction 1140 - overview Cologne
15.11.2019, 14:00 - Decorative Arts II
Estimate: 3.000 € - 4.000 €
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An Iranian fritware model of a bird

Quarz frit incense burner with iridescent turquoise glaze. Formed as a bird with its beak open perching on a round base, with a nozzle shaped opening in its back. Restored. H 33 cm.
12th / 13th C.

Provenance

The Monheim Collection, Aachen.
According to the family, a gift from Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the 1970s.

Literature

In metalwork, bird models often functioned as incense burners. Ceramic figures such as this were only produced for a very short time in Rayy and Kashan. Cf. other figural ceramic vessels in: Klein (ed.), Islamische Keramiken, Hetjens-Museum Düsseldorf 1973, no. 170 f. For more on the function of figural ceramics, see: Müller-Wiener, Islamische Keramik, Frankfurt 1996, no. 56.