Bowl thumbnail 1
Bowl thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Islamic Middle East, Room 42, The Jameel Gallery

Bowl

12th century-13th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Fritware, also called stone paste and quartz paste, was developed by Middle Eastern potters as a response to the challenge posed by Chinese porcelain. In the 12th and early 13th centuries, fritware was used in Kashan and other centres in Iran to produce fine wares decorated in an astonishing range of styles.

In one of these styles, the potters of Kashan used black slip to create designs. They applied the slip, then cut it away to reveal the design silhouetted in black against the white body. The rhinoceros appears in the Persian national epic, The Book of Kings, where it engages in combat with the hero Gushtasp.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Fritware with underglaze decoration
Brief description
Bowl with a rhinoceros, Iran (probably Kashan), 1170-1200.
Physical description
Bowl decorated with black slip under the glaze to form a black border and the silhouette of a rhinoceros in the centre.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 20.7cm
  • Height: 7cm
Gallery label
  • Jameel Gallery Bowl with Rhinoceros Iran, probably Kashan 1170-1200 Before developing underglaze painting, the potters of Kashan used black slip for a similar purpose. They applied the slip, then cut it away to reveal the design silhouetted in black against the white body. The rhinoceros appears in the Persian national epic, The Book of Kings, where it engages in combat with the hero Gushtasp. Fritware decorated with black slip under the glaze Museum no. C.282-1938(Jameel Gallery)
  • STANDING-DISH White earthenware with underglaze painting in black slip. PERSIAN; second half of the 12th century. C.282-1938.(1980-)
Production
The production of silhouette ware developed during the 12th century across the Islamic world, with the adoption of the frit body and new techniques of decoration using a heavy black brush stroke laid directly onto the white paste.
Subject depicted
Summary
Fritware, also called stone paste and quartz paste, was developed by Middle Eastern potters as a response to the challenge posed by Chinese porcelain. In the 12th and early 13th centuries, fritware was used in Kashan and other centres in Iran to produce fine wares decorated in an astonishing range of styles.

In one of these styles, the potters of Kashan used black slip to create designs. They applied the slip, then cut it away to reveal the design silhouetted in black against the white body. The rhinoceros appears in the Persian national epic, The Book of Kings, where it engages in combat with the hero Gushtasp.
Collection
Accession number
C.282-1938

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Record createdJune 30, 2005
Record URL
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