Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Assistant Professor, Department of Archaeology, University of Mazandaran
Abstract
Samanid slip-painted ceramics represent some of the most significant examples of the conjunction of text and object in Islamic art. In these works, Arabic inscriptions, primarily featuring ethical and sapiential themes, function not merely as decorative elements but as integral components of the vessel’s semantic structure. Despite numerous studies on the inscriptions of these ceramics, the repeated appearance of the word Aḥmad at the center of certain groups of these wares continues to be a subject of interpretative debate. Previous research, lacking consensus, has variously identified this word as a personal name, a potter’s signature, or a benedictory or auspicious phrase, yet without offering a systematic and simultaneous analysis of its placement, the themes of encircling inscriptions, and their formal characteristics. This article, focusing on a collection of ceramics inscribed with Aḥmad, re-examines the meaning and function of this word on these wares. It employs a semantic analysis of the encircling inscriptions, a paleographic examination of the script, and a comparison with the tradition of potter’s signature (Raqam) in Islamic ceramics. The findings indicate that these ceramics exhibit a tendency towards a limited and repetitive set of themes and are formally restricted to approximately two distinct styles of Kufic script. These structural commonalities, along with supplementary evidence from inscriptions featuring nisba (genealogical attributions) on similar wares, strengthen the possibility that this group is linked to a small workshop or a network of familial production associated with an individual named Aḥmad. Consequently, Aḥmad functioned as an identity marker, subtly connecting the maker’s individuality with workshop identity. It simultaneously evoked layers of spiritual or ethical associations linked to this name in the contemporary viewer’s mind.
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