Serving dish - Ceramic - Ceramica Kashan

A large serving dish or parade basin, of Middle Eastern or Silk Road production, with strong stylistic and structural affinities to Kashan (Persia) ceramics or those of Central Asia dating to the XII– XIV centuries. The foot with the raised ring and the central part of the base are devoid of turquoise glaze, leaving exposed the siliceous or clay ceramic paste. This technical choice prevented the object from fusing to or sticking to the kiln supports during high-temperature firing. Along the outer circular band there are irregular drips of blue-tblue glaze. This uneven thickness and the translucent effect are typical of hand-applied immersion or pouring glaze, characteristic of medieval Islamic ceramic workshops. The three glaze-free dots arranged in a triangle indicate the use of “rooster’s feet” (refractory tripods). They were used to stack the dishes in the kiln without them sticking together during the glass-fusion firing. The jagged profile, although compromised by chips and glaze loss, shows a lively, undulating rim consistent with models of parade or banqueting wares.