Publication Date
Last quarter of the 3rd century - first half of the 4th century AH / last quarter of the 9th century - first half of the 10th century AD
Publication Place
-
Museum of Islamic Arts, Raqqada; Kairouan
Subject
Enamelled and lacquered porcelain.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 9.2 سم؛ القطر: 27 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
C 45
Record ID
object;ISL;tn;Mus01;18;ar
Library Location
Museum of Islamic Arts, Raqqada; Kairouan
Date
Last quarter of the 3rd century - first half of the 4th century AH / last quarter of the 9th century - first half of the 10th century AD
Notes
A dish with a ring-shaped base; Its inner surface is obtuse. The piece is decorated with a cruciform decorative element, highlighted by four sections of green molten metal, composed of oxide and copper, covering the entire surrounding area. The central decoration, which is rich in abstract and dotted leaves surrounded by parallel lines, ends with four edges containing a decorative braid. This dish contains the only drawing of ribbons that has survived from that period. We do not find any piece similar to this drawing in Rafidian ceramics dating back to the same era, which might lead us to believe that it is an African (Tunisian) product. On the other hand, the floral decoration used to decorate its elements is reminiscent of the wooden half dome of the mihrab of the Great Mosque of Kairouan and the braided interlacing found on the leather covers of Kairouan books from the 3rd to the 5th century AH / 9th - 10th century AD. However, one cannot deny the existence of a similarity between the colors of this piece and some of its decorations and the square drawings found on the façade of the mihrab of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, the Mesopotamian origin of which has been definitively proven. The metallic luster technique is an Islamic innovation that spread from the beginning of the 3rd century AH/9th century AD from the Mesopotamian region to Egypt. It seems that it arrived in Africa after the second half of the 3rd century AH / 9th century AD, and from there it spread throughout the Maghreb, and from the latter to Spain, before sweeping Europe starting in the 7th century AH / 13th century AD.
Sample Text
Mourad Rammah “Metallic Luster Plate” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;tn;Mus01;18;ar
