Persia, modern day Iran, Nishapur area, ca. late 10th century to early 13th century CE. A stunning ceramic bowl of a deep round form on a short concave foot, the interior and rim adorned in a glaze of rich turquoise hues with an underpainted stylized flower and leaf design in darker blue or black on its interior. Nishapur was a center of politics and culture in medieval Persia, and their pottery is some of the most unique and beautiful we see from this time period. Size: 10.25" in diameter x 4.125" H (26 cm x 10.5 cm)

Such turquoise glazed pieces are the result of technological innovation at the end of the 10th century. The body of this plate and others of its style is made of finely ground quartz mixed with clay; this created a white surface on which the artists could paint designs directly. The glaze is alkaline, with a copper base to give it its color, and would be poured over the clay. Manganese was used to create the underglaze design. These pieces may have been inspired by the blue and white glazed pottery that travelled the Silk Road from Tang Dynasty China; however, the end result here is clearly not just an imitation, but rather an entirely different, radical style developed in Nishapur.

Provenance: private New Jersey USA collection, acquired over twenty years ago

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#121263

A few tiny nicks to rim. Small area of glaze loss to tondo, likely due to spacer placed there when fired.