Syrian Glazed Earthenware Bowl, Damascus, 18th century

This exquisite bowl exemplifies the expressive vernacular of late Ottoman Damascus pottery, where centuries of ceramic tradition met a freer, more painterly aesthetic. The bold palette of blue and green — a legacy of earlier Iznik wares — found new vitality in Syrian workshops of the 18th century, where artisans embraced a looser hand and an instinctive sense of rhythm and colour. Evoking both refinement and rusticity, the piece embodies the enduring artistry of Levantine ceramics at the threshold of modernity.

Of shallow rounded form on a slightly raised foot, the interior and exterior painted in cobalt blue and copper green under a transparent glaze. The interior decorated with a rhythmic border of interlocking blue rings enclosing green brushstrokes, framing a stylised floral medallion at the centre. The exterior similarly adorned with free-flowing vegetal motifs, the glaze pooling softly along the rim. The earthen foot left unglazed, revealing the warm terracotta body beneath.