bowl
- Museum number
- 1923,0725.1
- Description
-
Bowl, made of tin glazed earthenware with designs painted in cobalt-blue; representation of a fire altar, a stand on which the sacred fire used in Zoroastrian rituals is placed.
- Production date
- 9thC-10thC (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 21.50 centimetres
-
Height: 7 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- During the Abbasid period, Iraqi potters were strongly influenced by the Chinese porcelain that was exported in quantities across the Indian Ocean and that is found in major port and other sites across the Islamic world. At Basra, the likely centre of ceramic production at this time, the potters tried to emulate the white fabric of the Chinese prototypes. Without the kaolin needed for porcelain and the high firing kilns they created cosmetic imitations made of fine earthenware which they covered with an opaque white glaze. Not satisfied with plain white bowls, the potters frequently decorated them with designs in copper-green and cobalt-blue. This piece has a design which, it has been suggested, resembles a fire altar of the type used by the Zoroastrians. The use of the opaque white glaze, generally created by the addition of tin, was to be highly influencial on the pottery of Europe, used in Spain and then for Italian majolica.
Further Reading: O.Watson Ceramics from Islamic Lands (Thames and Hudson in association with The al-Sabah Collection Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, Kuwait National Museum 2004)
Akbarnia et al 2018 / The Islamic World: a History in Objects Reference: p.28, fig.1
- Location
- On display (G42/dc16)
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
2009 11 Dec-2010 10 May, Madrid, Canal de Isabel II, Treasures of the World’s Cultures
2009 1 May-20 Sep, Victoria, Royal BC Museum, Treasures of the World's Cultures
- Acquisition date
- 1923
- Department
- Middle East
- Registration number
- 1923,0725.1
- Additional IDs
-
Miscellaneous number: 116394