Author
Unknown
Publication Date
1180
Publication Place
Iran (made) -
Subject
Islam
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
Diameter: 18.6cm, Height: 10.9cm
Library
Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID
C.49-1978
Record ID
C.49-1978
Library Location
Middle East Section
Date
1180
Notes
This bowl is made from fritware (also called stone paste and quartz paste), an artificial ceramic body developed by Middle Eastern potters around the middle of the 11th century to imitate the hard, bright white body of imported Chinese porcelains. The main ingredient in fritware was fine quartz powder made by grinding sand or pebbles. Small quantities of white clay and a glassy substance known as frit were added â the clay to give plasticity, the frit to bind the body after firing. In the 12th and early 13th centuries, fritware was used in Kashan and other pottery centres in Iran to produce fine wares decorated in an astonishing range of styles. This bowl is decorated with underglaze painting, which was another technique that was perfected in Iran at this time. It probably developed from earlier techniques of painting with slip, but the Kashan potters realised they could apply the slip very thinly, directly on to the ceramic body, which they did with extremely artistic results. The cobalt blue pigment was unstable and often ran during firing - the striped pattern minimises this effect because the lines just run into themselves. 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. Although burial preserved the ceramics from Jurjan for over seven centuries, the conditions were not ideal. Temperature and humidity changed repeatedly, and the pieces were packed in sand, which may have contained substances that corrode glaze. As a result, the glaze on this bowl has deteriorated in places. It has become iridescent, reflecting light like a rainbow. 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.
Malzemeler ve teknikler
Fritware painted in blue under a transparent glaze
Fiziksel açıklama
Fritware bowl decorated in stripes with cobalt blue pigment under a transparent glaze. The cobalt has run during the firing so the decoration is a bit blurred, especially towards the centre of the interior, where there is also what appears to be a small bird. The glazed surface is also very iridescent from burial, especially on the exterior.
Üretim
Probably Kashan
Üslup
Seljuk
