Dish Depicting a Coiled Dragon
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Object Label
Shared motifs and designs in the art of diverse cultures along the Silk Route provide some of the most visible evidence of cultural transmission between China and the Islamic world. Through trade, tribute, gift exchange, and the spread of religions such as Buddhism, Manichaeism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, imagery associated with one artistic tradition was often adapted or incorporated in another cultural context.
A blue-and-white Iranian dish with Chinese cloud collar motifs illustrates how motifs evolved or were reinterpreted. The blue-and-white inspiration from China underwent several transformations in Iran as well as in the Ottoman Empire, where designs were combined with new colors and motifs to create the celebrated Iznik style of ceramics.
Caption
Dish Depicting a Coiled Dragon, late 17th century. Ceramic; stone paste, painted in cobalt blue under a transparent colorless glaze, Diam. 16 5/16 in. (41.4 cm) Diam at foot: 8 11/16 in. (22.1 cm) H. 2 15/16 in. (7.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Collection Fund, 11.33. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 11.33_PS9.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Title
Dish Depicting a Coiled Dragon
Date
late 17th century
Dynasty
Safavid
Period
Safavid Period
Geography
Place made: Iran
Medium
Ceramic; stone paste, painted in cobalt blue under a transparent colorless glaze
Classification
Dimensions
Diam. 16 5/16 in. (41.4 cm) Diam at foot: 8 11/16 in. (22.1 cm) H. 2 15/16 in. (7.4 cm)
Credit Line
Museum Collection Fund
Accession Number
11.33
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
Was there any reason why many of these pieces are painted using blue?
Yes! Ceramics are fired in a kiln at high temperatures. Porcelain is fired at the highest heat (between 1,200 and 1,400 degrees celsius). There are few glaze colors that remain stable under such high heat. The metal cobalt that is used to create this beautiful blue is one of the few colors that can withstand the high temperatures in the kiln!Thanks
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