Bringing the Holy Land Home: The Crusades, Chertsey Abbey, and the Reconstruction of a Medieval Masterpiece

Why was this made, and how was it used?

Ceramics were generally made to store and serve food. However, in the eastern Mediterranean, making ceramic bowls became an art form with the utilization of the sgraffito technique. Sgraffito was developed by potters to decorate ceramic ware with intricate designs. Learn more about the sgraffito technique here. Highly decorated ceramics were more likely to be used as decoration and for special occasions. The harpy on this bowl belongs to an Islamic tradition in which harpies symbolize health, happiness and prosperity. Most of these are crowned with a three-pointed crown and wear luxurious jewelry, like earrings or ornamented collars. These three pointed crowns suggest pre-Islamic Sasanian Persian traditions that were carried on by medieval Persian and Turkish rulers. A good example are these depictions of Seljuk sultans who ruled during the eleventh century.
The courtly status of the harpy seems to have come about due to the creature's history of victory and glory. The crowned harpy was associated with elite status and were the bringers of food and drink. Due to use of sgraffito and the image of the harpy, we can assume that this bowl was purchased by or given to a person of significance, like someone of the courts.
 

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