Dish with Design of Birds and Animals

About the Art

In 762, the Abbasid dynasty established Baghdad as its capital and initiated a period of innovative science and scholarship. It also shaped trends in Islamic art and architecture throughout the region for centuries. One innovation was luster painting, applying metal oxides on a previously glazed and fired ceramic. A second firing resulted in an iridescent surface design. Lusterware provided alternatives for more expensive vessels made of precious materials, here imitating copper.

FEATURED IMAGE
Artist(s) unknown (Iraq), Dish with Design of Birds and Animals, 10th century, glazed earthenware, luster-painted decoration, 2 1/4 x 9 1/4 x 9 1/4 inches (5.7 x 23.5 x 23.5 cm). Museum purchase with funds provided by the 1968 Associate Board Art Ball, 1968.74