- Title
- Plate
- Date Made
- 12th century
- Medium
- Fritware, luster-painted over a blue glaze
- Dimensions
- Height: 1 3/8 in . (3.5 cm ); Diameter: 7 in . (17.8 cm )
- Accession Number
- M.73.5.288
- Collecting Area
- Art of the Middle East: Islamic
- Curatorial Notes
Luster-painted ceramics, which represent one of the most original and spectacular contributions of the Islamic potter, is an especially long-lived technique, and the resulting product must have always been considered as a form of luxury ware, given its costly materials and manufacturing process. From the twelfth to the early fourteenth century, Kashan, in Central Iran, was the most prolific center for lusterware, including this charming bowl, glazed pale blue rather than the characteristic white, and overpainted with chocolate brown luster. At the center of the vessel is a monumental spotted bear, reserved (depicted in silhouette) against the luster ground.
