A SAFAVID MONOCHROME TURQUOISE-GLAZED POTTERY BOWL
Iran, 17th - 18th century

Of typical deep rounded shape, resting on a thin circular glazed foot, the moulded body covered in monochrome turquoise glaze and decorated with tapering vertical lines, inventory stickers to the base, 22.5cm diam and 10.5cm high.

Safavid monochrome wares aimed at creating very close imitations of Chinese celadon vessels for the local market, dodging the prohibitive costs of exporting those precious porcelain examples from abroad. The shapes, designs, and palette of some Safavid monochromes could occasionally be mistaken for Chinese originals, but their opaque glaze and the extensive use of the colour turquoise always gave away their origins. Harking back to the typical 12th-century Kashan turquoise-glazed wares, this Safavid monochrome bowl is a successful marriage between past Iranian traditions and present Chinese influences. For another similar example of a turquoise monochrome-glazed pottery dish, please see O. Watson, Ceramics from Islamic Lands, 2004, p. 465, cat. U.18.