Chinese cloisonné enamel bowl with Arabic inscriptions
£4,500
Finished with superb cloisonné enamel work, this bowl was created in China for export to Islamic markets, as indicated by the Arabic inscriptions adorning its body.
The bowl is of traditional form, with a bulbous body raised on three feet and a rim mounted with twin looped handles. The bowl is wrought from bronze, which is gilt on the feet, the rim, the handles, and the two shaped cartouches to the front and reverse of the body. The surface of the bowl is profusely finished with cloisonné enamel: scrolling arabesques and flowers are set above the turquoise enamel ground. The twin cartouches contain embossed Thuluth script, demonstrating that the bowl was produced for the Islamic market. It is signed underside with a mark in traditional Chinese script.
