ABU’L-FARAJ BANNĀʾ, a potter known through a single signed piece reputedly found in Sāva. It consists of a dome-shaped candlestick decorated with a broad frieze of figures alternately seated and standing against a foliate scroll. Around the base runs an inscription in Persian, including the signature. It is decorated in the silhouette technique with a thick black slip carved and incised under a transparent blue glaze. The technique allows the piece to be dated to the last quarter of the 6th/12th century.
Bibliography:
M. Bahrami, Gurgan Faiances, Cairo, 1949, pl. 3b.
(O. Watson)
Originally Published: December 15, 1983
Last Updated: July 21, 2011
This article is available in print.
Vol. I, Fasc. 3, p. 282
O. Watson, “ABU’L-FARAJ BANNĀʾ,” Encyclopædia Iranica, I/3, p. 282; an updated version is available online at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/abul-faraj-banna-a-potter-known-through-a-single-signed-piece-reputedly-found-in-sava (accessed on 31 January 2014).