The small terracotta bowl with a black coating is an excellent example of popular religiosity. The presence of an engraved inscription on the inside of the artefact with a sura from the Qur’an and a phrase of good luck on the outside places the artefact in the category of apotropaic objects aimed at protecting the owner of the object or those who use it.
The inner inscription bears the following text fragment: ‘Allah! There is no god but He, the Living One, the Absolute. Neither slumber nor sleep take Him. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth. Who can intercede with Him without His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and of His knowledge they learn only what He wills.” (Sura 2, verse 255).
The phrase written on the outside is: ‘Allah oh my supreme prophet; peace be upon him; you who are sufficient you who are the forgiver’.
Where to see this work of art
19th century A.D.
Black glazed ceramic
