Fit for royalty

در فارس حسین خان در چین را بربست
تا کارگه صنعت چینی بگشاد
در عهد محمد شه با دانش و‌داد
چون همت خواجه داد هر صنعت داد

'In Fars, Hossein Khan closed the door on China
To open a porcelain factory
In the era of knowledgeable and just Mohammad Shah
Khaja’s effort brought profit to every industry'

This inscription encircles an image of the lion and sun, a composition considered to be the emblem of the Persian monarchy during the Qajar period. It decorates the bottom interior of the bowl. This inscription supports the notion that the bowl was made for the royal court and was produced with the intent of supporting the revival of localized crafts. The revival was consciously spearheaded by the third Qajar ruler, Muhammad Shah (r. 1834-48) and his vizier, at a time when an influx of foreign-made ceramics and porcelain had debilitated localized ceramic production. Willem Floor, "The Ceramics Craft," in Traditional Crafts in Qajar Iran: (1800-1925), by Willem M. Floor (Costa Mesa, Calif.: Mazda Publ., 2003), 74-77. Such references to the protection and revival of a craft are not commonly found on objects, and the inscription's framing of the royal seal is even less common.

The diverse imagery on this bowl coupled with presence of the royal emblem and inscription, makes it unique and arguably representative of a limited category of royal commissions made during a transitional period in Iranian culture.

The symbol of the lion dates back to the Achaemenid (c. 550-330 BC) and Sasanian (224-651 AD) empires. The Royal symbol is a means to “confer agency to the Qajar court patron and local artist.” Mika Natif, "Introduction," introduction to Mughal Occidentalism: Artistic Encounters between Europe and Asia at the Courts of India, 1580-1630 (Leiden: Brill, 2018), 2. It remained the official emblem of Iran until the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979. However, its strength as a symbol causes many to still associate the image with Persia.