Dish with hare

The central depiction of this dish is a hare, pacing to the left. In its mouth it holds a tendril, which ends in a trifoliate leaf. Alternating on the inner surface are four large-sized, symmetrical, composite leaves and four leafy shrubs. The outer surface is filled with four circles on stippled ground. The Arabic word “al-baiṭār” is inscribed in the interior, close to one of the composite leaves. It is interpreted as the name of the designing craftsman. Mentioning the name of a painter or supervisor of a workshop on ceramic objects was customary in Syria and Egypt from the 11th century onwards. The central motif of a hare is widespread on artefacts in Egypt, e.g. on Coptic textiles. This dish was quite probably produced in Fustat. Fustat is situated next to Cairo, which was founded in 969 by the Fatimids and made their capital in 971. From the end of the 10th until the third quarter of the 11th century, Fustat was one of the main production centres for ceramics. Most of the Fatimid lustreware is preserved as sherds, originating from the dump of the ancient potters’ quarter of Fustat. This dish is also reconstructed of sherds.