Bowl
late 17th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The decoration on this bowl is a combination of dense lustre applied over clear and cobalt blue glazes. This is a feature of many lustre wares produced in Iran during the period 1650-1700.
Around 1650, a group of Iranian potters revived the technique of lustre decoration. First the potter made a glazed vessel or tile with little or no decoration in the normal way. When the piece had cooled, the potter painted a design over the glaze in metallic compounds. The pot or tile 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.
This technique had not been used on any scale in Iran for three centuries. We do not know how the technique was revived, or where the potters produced their distinctive wares.
Around 1650, a group of Iranian potters revived the technique of lustre decoration. First the potter made a glazed vessel or tile with little or no decoration in the normal way. When the piece had cooled, the potter painted a design over the glaze in metallic compounds. The pot or tile 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.
This technique had not been used on any scale in Iran for three centuries. We do not know how the technique was revived, or where the potters produced their distinctive wares.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Fritware, underglaze and lustre decoration |
| Brief description | Lustre bowl with a depiction of a peacock in the centre, Iran, late 17th century. |
| Physical description | Reddish-brown lustre dish on cream glaze. In the centre is a peacock, surrounded by flowers. Around the rim is a rope style pattern and a more abstract geometric design. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Salting Bequest |
| Historical context | The designs of Safavid lustre owe nothing to the Chinese, but are purely Iranian. Their source is not precisely identifiable, the motifs are a mixture of the sort of decoration found in contemporary manuscript illumination, see Pope (1939; pls 892-93, 896-98. 974-75 etc.) and designs developed specifically for ceramics, such as the arabesques and floral designs found on slip-painted wares (cat. U.25.U26). The relationship ends there though. The range of shapes, the materials and details of making indicate that it is a separate production. |
| Summary | The decoration on this bowl is a combination of dense lustre applied over clear and cobalt blue glazes. This is a feature of many lustre wares produced in Iran during the period 1650-1700. Around 1650, a group of Iranian potters revived the technique of lustre decoration. First the potter made a glazed vessel or tile with little or no decoration in the normal way. When the piece had cooled, the potter painted a design over the glaze in metallic compounds. The pot or tile 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. This technique had not been used on any scale in Iran for three centuries. We do not know how the technique was revived, or where the potters produced their distinctive wares. |
| Bibliographic reference | Caiger-Smith, Alan Lustre Pottery: Technique, Tradition and Innovation in Islam and the Western World, London, 1985, p. 197. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.1965-1910 |
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| Record created | February 24, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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