A Tell Minis lustre pottery bowl Syria, 12th CenturyA Tell Minis lustre pottery bowl Syria, 12th Centuryof conical form with slightly everted rim on a short foot, decorated in a brownish lustre on a cream ground with a band of inscriptions, concentric linear bands to the rim, the exterior with a horizontal band 25.1 cm. diam.Inscriptions: Repetition of al'izz, 'Glory.'Tell Minis ware is the name given to a group of ceramics found at the village of Tell Minis in Western Syria, the production centres of such pieces being unidentified. The use of stonepaste and over-glazed lustre, its characteristic reddish hue perhaps due to a shortage of silver, was introduced into Syria in the eleventh century by potters from Egypt, proving to be crucial for the development of ceramics in the region. The decoration featured on these vessels varies, ranging from animals, the human figure and calligraphic motifs to floral ornament. Our bowl can be compared to one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, both being of conical form and featuring linear bands of decoration (Acc. No. 66.37).