Bottle with lustre-painted decoration including bands of inscriptions in Arabic and Persian, Iran (probably Kashan), ca. 1220.

Lustre bottle with prominent interweaving of two inscription bands on body. Larger inscription on the shoulder. Area between the inscription bands and the foot is filled with dots and motifs like the Arabic letter nun.

Given by Mr C.N. Ades MBE in memory of his wife, Andrée Ades

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.

This ceramic bottle was modelled on similar containers made of precious metal. They held the wine drunk at court revelries. Here the decoration consists of a series of verses in lustre.

The technique of lustre decoration on ceramics was first developed in Iraq in the 9th century. About 1170, the lustre technique was taken from Syria to the city of Kashan in Iran, where this piece was probably made.

With this technique potters first made a glazed vessel or tile with little or no decoration in the normal way. When the piece had cooled, they painted a design over the glaze in metallic compounds. The piece was then fired again, this time with a restricted supply of oxygen. In these conditions, the metallic compounds broke down, and a thin deposit of copper or silver was left on the surface of the glaze. When polished, this surface layer reflected the light.

C.165-1977