Black and Blue Painted Bowl

Unknown

early 13th century · Stonepaste; polychrome painted under transparent glaze · Islamic Art

The whiteness of stonepaste provided a canvas upon which potters could paint pigments directly, rather than applying a slip. By the early thirteenth century, a new type emerged, decorated in black and blue against the white ground, usually with vegetal motifs inside radial frameworks. The stable black pigment creates crisp outlines and fine details, while the rather runny blue fills contours and highlights forms. Underglaze painting would have long‑term consequences on the development of Iranian ceramics.

Artist

Unknown

Date

early 13th century

Medium

Stonepaste; polychrome painted under transparent glaze

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1964