Albarello
1375-1400 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The technique of lustre decoration on ceramics was first developed in Iraq in the 9th century. Potters used the lustre technique to make their wares shine like gold.
First a glazed vessel or tile with little or no decoration was made in the normal way. When the piece had cooled, a design was painted 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.
The lustre technique was introduced to Spain from Egypt as early as the 12th century. In the 13th century, Muslim-ruled Málaga was the main centre of production, but in the 14th century, Christian-ruled Valencia took over. Potters there continued to use Islamic designs, such as the bands resembling Arabic calligraphy on this jar.
First a glazed vessel or tile with little or no decoration was made in the normal way. When the piece had cooled, a design was painted 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.
The lustre technique was introduced to Spain from Egypt as early as the 12th century. In the 13th century, Muslim-ruled Málaga was the main centre of production, but in the 14th century, Christian-ruled Valencia took over. Potters there continued to use Islamic designs, such as the bands resembling Arabic calligraphy on this jar.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Earthenware with overglaze lustre decoration |
| Brief description | Albarello (drug-jar) with brown lustre and dark blue decoration including pseudo-Kufic writing, Spain (probably Valencia), 1375-1400. |
| Physical description | Tall albarello with a flat foot, whitish tin-glaze and painting in golden-brown lustre and dark blue. The painted decoration includes arched panels enclosing tree and leaf motifs, stars within circles, and a broad band of pseudo-Kufic writing. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Sir Otto Beit, Bt KCMG |
| Production | Hispano-Moresque |
| Summary | The technique of lustre decoration on ceramics was first developed in Iraq in the 9th century. Potters used the lustre technique to make their wares shine like gold. First a glazed vessel or tile with little or no decoration was made in the normal way. When the piece had cooled, a design was painted 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. The lustre technique was introduced to Spain from Egypt as early as the 12th century. In the 13th century, Muslim-ruled Málaga was the main centre of production, but in the 14th century, Christian-ruled Valencia took over. Potters there continued to use Islamic designs, such as the bands resembling Arabic calligraphy on this jar. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.123-1931 |
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| Record created | November 4, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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