The form of this deep, covered bowl is similar to the tagines famously used in North African cuisine today. Cooking pots of that type were first recorded in the ninth century, and it is likely this vessel served the same household function, notwithstanding its overtly religious decoration. The lusterware technique seen here involves the use of a copper oxide that, when painted on in the desired patterns and fired separately, produces a metallic sheen in tones ranging from pale gold to deep reddish copper, depending on the proportions of the mixture.