Dish
1200-1220 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This dish represents the most luxurious form of ceramic made in medieval Iran. The shape, and the form and layout of the design, shows that it copies a metalwork dish of engraved bronze inlaid with silver. However expensive and luxurious, ceramics were always more plentiful and cheaper than high quality metalwork since they were manufactured in greater quantities.
Material & Technique
The body is made of 'fritware', a type of earthenware composed largely of pulverised quartz rather than clay. It allowed the potter to make shapes of precise and thin form. The opaque white glaze provided a smooth, fine surface for the decoration. The lustre technique is one of the most complicated and difficult in all ceramic technology. It results in a layer of a metallic copper-and-silver mixture being laid on the surface of the glaze. This gives the metallic and mother-of-pearl reflections for which lustreware is especially prized.
Places
Many kinds of ceramic were made at sites across Iran, in towns and villages, wherever a sufficient market existed. A few of the more sophisticated and difficult techniques appear to have been the monopoly of an individual potter, or of a small group. Lustre was one such technique. In the medieval period it was made only by a few workshops in the small town of Kashan on the edge of the central desert. From here, the lustre potters supplied tiles for large-scale installations in buildings across the country. Bowls and dishes were traded even further east, and as far west as Egypt.
Historical Associations
This dish is thought to have been one of a large group found in Jurgan in north-east Iran. Its pristine condition - as good as when it was drawn from the kiln some 800 years ago - suggests that it was never used. It may have been buried for safe keeping by a merchant in the face of the devastation of the advancing Mongol invasions of the early 13th century. He did not survive to recover his treasures.
This dish represents the most luxurious form of ceramic made in medieval Iran. The shape, and the form and layout of the design, shows that it copies a metalwork dish of engraved bronze inlaid with silver. However expensive and luxurious, ceramics were always more plentiful and cheaper than high quality metalwork since they were manufactured in greater quantities.
Material & Technique
The body is made of 'fritware', a type of earthenware composed largely of pulverised quartz rather than clay. It allowed the potter to make shapes of precise and thin form. The opaque white glaze provided a smooth, fine surface for the decoration. The lustre technique is one of the most complicated and difficult in all ceramic technology. It results in a layer of a metallic copper-and-silver mixture being laid on the surface of the glaze. This gives the metallic and mother-of-pearl reflections for which lustreware is especially prized.
Places
Many kinds of ceramic were made at sites across Iran, in towns and villages, wherever a sufficient market existed. A few of the more sophisticated and difficult techniques appear to have been the monopoly of an individual potter, or of a small group. Lustre was one such technique. In the medieval period it was made only by a few workshops in the small town of Kashan on the edge of the central desert. From here, the lustre potters supplied tiles for large-scale installations in buildings across the country. Bowls and dishes were traded even further east, and as far west as Egypt.
Historical Associations
This dish is thought to have been one of a large group found in Jurgan in north-east Iran. Its pristine condition - as good as when it was drawn from the kiln some 800 years ago - suggests that it was never used. It may have been buried for safe keeping by a merchant in the face of the devastation of the advancing Mongol invasions of the early 13th century. He did not survive to recover his treasures.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | White earthenware, lustre painted |
| Brief description | Dish, Iran, (Kashan), early 13th century |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | Persian verse (Persian; Persian; Rim) |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
LUSTRE DISHES William De Morgan was one of the most innovative of the British art potters working between about 1870 and 1900 and he spent many years experimenting with original techniques. His passion was the development of pattern and colours inspired by historic Spanish and 'Persian' pottery. The antelope standing against a foliage background by the water's edge was a standard design in Persian lustre wares. Compare De Morgan's dish with the one on its left.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Given by Mr C. N. Ades MBE, in memory of his wife, Andrée Ades |
| Object history | This vessel was part of a hoard that was deliberately buried by its owner, probably a merchant who lived in Jurjan in north-east Iran, or who was passing through the city. In 1220, Jurjan was threatened by a Mongol invasion. The merchant packed the vessels in sand inside large storage jars and buried them for safekeeping. Soon afterwards, Jurjan was completely destroyed by the Mongols, and the owner never returned to recover the hoard.As a result, the vessels in this hoard survived together for almost 800 years, and in relatively good condition. The probable date of their burial also gives us a good indication of when the vessels in the hoard were made, as well as showing the wide variety of types of decoration that were used to make Iranian pottery at this time. Clement Ades gave a large number of objects found in the Jurjan hoard to the Victoria and Albert Museum at different times. Their object numbers are C.152 to 171-1977, and C.35 to 49-1978. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type This dish represents the most luxurious form of ceramic made in medieval Iran. The shape, and the form and layout of the design, shows that it copies a metalwork dish of engraved bronze inlaid with silver. However expensive and luxurious, ceramics were always more plentiful and cheaper than high quality metalwork since they were manufactured in greater quantities. Material & Technique The body is made of 'fritware', a type of earthenware composed largely of pulverised quartz rather than clay. It allowed the potter to make shapes of precise and thin form. The opaque white glaze provided a smooth, fine surface for the decoration. The lustre technique is one of the most complicated and difficult in all ceramic technology. It results in a layer of a metallic copper-and-silver mixture being laid on the surface of the glaze. This gives the metallic and mother-of-pearl reflections for which lustreware is especially prized. Places Many kinds of ceramic were made at sites across Iran, in towns and villages, wherever a sufficient market existed. A few of the more sophisticated and difficult techniques appear to have been the monopoly of an individual potter, or of a small group. Lustre was one such technique. In the medieval period it was made only by a few workshops in the small town of Kashan on the edge of the central desert. From here, the lustre potters supplied tiles for large-scale installations in buildings across the country. Bowls and dishes were traded even further east, and as far west as Egypt. Historical Associations This dish is thought to have been one of a large group found in Jurgan in north-east Iran. Its pristine condition - as good as when it was drawn from the kiln some 800 years ago - suggests that it was never used. It may have been buried for safe keeping by a merchant in the face of the devastation of the advancing Mongol invasions of the early 13th century. He did not survive to recover his treasures. |
| Bibliographic reference | Watson, Oliver. Persian Lustre Ware. London: Faber and Faber, 1985. ISBN 0-571-13235-9. Pl. 69, pp. 93-94 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.164-1977 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | January 5, 2000 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
