The Wade Cup
The Wade Cup, Iran, Seljuk Period, 13th Century c. 1200-1225
1944.485
Not on display
Known as the Wade Cup, after J. H. Wade who bequeathed the funds for its acquisition, this bowl is the best known Islamic art object in the Museum. The rich decoration on the exterior of the bowl is organized into bands and compartments. Climaxing the decorative program is an inscription band at the rim in which the letters are transformed into humans and animals.
The compartments created by the interlacing bands contain tiny figures of humans and animals. These represent the twelve signs of the zodiac. The zodiacal signs spring from astrology---the practice of interpreting the influence of planets and stars on earthly affairs. Astrology originated in the Middle East, in Babylonia, some four to five thousand years ago.
Images Copyright © the artist, their estate, and/or the Cleveland Museum of Art.
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