Ceramic Breastfeeding Figures from Iran and Syria Melanie Gibson Synopsis: In the 12th and 13th centuries, the cities of Kashan in Iran and Raqqa in Syria were sophisticated manufacturing centers of luxury pottery producing a wide range of types, including―for the first time in Islamic ceramic history―three-dimensional human figures. One of the more unusual forms…
Tag: Ceramics Topics
Persian Luster Tilework
Persian Luster Tilework between the Field and Museum Keelan Overton Synopsis: During the 13th and 14th centuries, potters in the Iranian city of Kashan produced one of the world’s most sophisticated forms of tilework: luster, or zarrinfam. Distinguished by a metallic sheen that shined like the sun, luster was ordered for the finest palaces, mosques, and…
Monsoon Winds and Ming Porcelains
Monsoon Winds and Ming Porcelains: Collecting and Displaying Chinese Ceramics at the Mughal Court Denise-Marie Teece Synopsis: While the porcelain collection donated by the Safavid ruler Shah Abbas to Ardebil, and the massive Ottoman Chinese porcelain collection held in Istanbul’s Topkapı Palace, are well known and relatively well published, the East Asian ceramic collections of…
Sphero-Conical Vessels
Sphero-Conical Vessels: Evidence from Baalbek (Lebanon) Valentina Vezzoli Synopsis: This presentation provides a general introduction to sphero-conical vessels, interpretations of their various uses, and related archaeological evidence, with a particular focus on the collection issued from the site of Baalbek in Lebanon. Scholars have suggested that these ceramic objects may have been used for different…
A Samanid Epigraphic Dish
A Samanid Epigraphic Dish Marika Sardar Synopsis: Ceramic dishes of the Samanid period (819–1005) are known for the inclusion of epigraphy in their decorative programs. Inscriptions include proverbs praising moral qualities, such as generosity, planning, and wisdom. This presentation explores a Samanid epigraphic dish in the Aga Khan Museum collections and compares its epigraphic contents…