Dish
ca. 1200 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Throughout the Islamic period, Middle Eastern potters were challenged by the superior wares imported from China. One response was the invention of fritware, also called stone paste and quartz paste.
In fritware, the main ingredient was fine quartz powder made by grinding sand or pebbles. Small quantities of white clay and a glassy substance known as frit were added – the clay to give plasticity, the frit to bind the body after firing. Unlike high-fired Chinese porcelain, low-fired fritware was soft and porous, but like porcelain it was white all the way through and could be used to make convincing substitutes.
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.
The Kashan potters’ mastery of both fritware and the lustre technique is illustrated by this large dish. The figure, a servant offering a piece of food, stands out boldly against the pattern because it is surrounded by a solid band of lustre.
In fritware, the main ingredient was fine quartz powder made by grinding sand or pebbles. Small quantities of white clay and a glassy substance known as frit were added – the clay to give plasticity, the frit to bind the body after firing. Unlike high-fired Chinese porcelain, low-fired fritware was soft and porous, but like porcelain it was white all the way through and could be used to make convincing substitutes.
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.
The Kashan potters’ mastery of both fritware and the lustre technique is illustrated by this large dish. The figure, a servant offering a piece of food, stands out boldly against the pattern because it is surrounded by a solid band of lustre.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Fritware with lustre decoration |
| Brief description | Lustre-painted dish with a seated figure offering food, Iran (Kashan), about 1200. |
| Physical description | Large fritware dish lustre-painted in the 'transitional monumental' style with a depiction of a seated woman proffering a lemon amidst dense scrollwork and cartouches with abstract designs. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Ades Family Collection, accepted under the Cultural Gifts Scheme by HM Government and allocated to the V&A, 2019. |
| Summary | Throughout the Islamic period, Middle Eastern potters were challenged by the superior wares imported from China. One response was the invention of fritware, also called stone paste and quartz paste. In fritware, the main ingredient was fine quartz powder made by grinding sand or pebbles. Small quantities of white clay and a glassy substance known as frit were added – the clay to give plasticity, the frit to bind the body after firing. Unlike high-fired Chinese porcelain, low-fired fritware was soft and porous, but like porcelain it was white all the way through and could be used to make convincing substitutes. 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. The Kashan potters’ mastery of both fritware and the lustre technique is illustrated by this large dish. The figure, a servant offering a piece of food, stands out boldly against the pattern because it is surrounded by a solid band of lustre. |
| Bibliographic reference | Oliver Watson, Persian Lustre Ware, London, 1985, Colour Plate D and pages 28, 86. |
| Other number | LOAN:A.ADES.4 - Previous loan number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | ME.117-2019 |
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| Record created | November 4, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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