The work of Siddig El Nigoumi is infused with African, Arabic and British influences. Born in The Sudan in 1931, Siddig followed a two-year period as a calligrapher by enrolling at the School of Art in Khartoum. It was there that he began to specialise in pottery. In 1957 he travelled to London to study ceramics at the Central School of Art. In 1967 he settled permanently in England. Siddig popularised the use of traditional African pottery techniques within British studio ceramics. His pots were handbuilt, their surfaces burnished by polishing with a stone or similar tool, and left unglazed. Decoration was often incised into their surfaces, and in this, Siddig's talents as a calligrapher are evident. This particular dish is an excellent example, and bears the inscription in Arabic 'al-zawwaj al-maliki al-kabir 1981' (The Great Royal Wedding 1981). This inscription is in an English translation on the back of the dish. Like a number of Siddig's pots, this dish also has the smoke-fired character of some traditional African pottery. Though actually fired in an electric kiln, Siddig would carefully smoke their surfaces with a lighted taper of rolled newspaper, imparting them with a rich and delicate patterning.