In the complex and varied world of Islamic art ceramics play an important role. Medieval Persian ceramics, in particular, were extraordinary for their technical invention and imaginative, refined iconography achieving artistic results that would be difficult to surpass in the art of pottery. Compared with early Islamic art, works of art from medieval times make much greater use of figural decoration and forms. Alongside celebrated examples from some of the world's most prestigious museum collections, this volume includes a series of hitherto unseen works. The impressive and technically sophisticated pieces include plates, bowls, ewers, jugs, jars, beakers, and spouted and shaped vessels. The book provides an exhaustive panorama of Persian ceramics, striking a perfect balance between technical, stylistic, and aesthetic analysis, which brings the reader closer to this art of exceptional quality and beauty.

A beautifully illustrated showcase of the rich and varied ceramic tradition of Iran Featuring a broad selection of objects from one of the most distinguished collections of Iranian art, this volume brings together over 1,000 years of Persian Islamic pottery. With more than 500 illustrations, authoritative technical treatises, and insightful commentary, Ceramics of Iran assembles a collection of rarely seen treasures from the Persian world and presents a collective history of its renowned ceramic tradition. Included among its comprehensive catalogue entries are numerous translations of the object’s inscriptions, providing readers with a richer and more detailed understanding of the cultural heritage from which these items are derived. In addition, the book contains new research and material from previously unknown sites. Featuring all new photography of nearly 250 objects, Ceramics of Iran brings the extraordinary contributions of Persian art into a wider historical context, along with a wealth of images to demonstrate the full scope of its intricate beauty.

An accessible survey of Persian ceramics

Persian Pottery in the First Global Age: the Sixteenth and Seventeeth Centuries studies the ceramic industry of Iran in the Safavid period (1501–1732) and the impact which the influx of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain, heightened by the activities of the English and Dutch East Indies Companies after c. 1700, had on local production. The multidisciplinary approach of the authors (Lisa Golombek, Robert B. Mason, Patricia Proctor, Eileen Reilly) leads to a reconstruction of the narrative about Safavid pottery and revises commonly accepted notions. The book includes easily accessible reference charts to assist in dating and provenancing Safavid pottery on the basis of diagnostic motifs, potters’ marks, petrofabrics, shapes, and Chinese models.

The cultures of pre-Islamic Iran gave birth to a distinctive tradition of fine ceramics that spanned at least 5000 years, from the Neolithic period to the time of Roman activity in the Near East. This is a study of that remarkable tradition.

Catalog of the following works in the National Gallery of Art's collection of decorative arts : Chinese porcelains from the Qing dynasty, Persian and Indian rugs and carpets from the Peter A.B. Widener collection, two Chinese paintings from the 19th century and a 17th century Coromandel lacquer screen