Dish Depicting a Coiled Dragon
Arts of the Islamic World
MEDIUM
Ceramic; stone paste, painted in cobalt blue under a transparent colorless glaze
DATES
late 17th century
DYNASTY
Safavid
PERIOD
Safavid Period
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)
(show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER
11.33
CREDIT LINE
Museum Collection Fund
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Large plate with a low wide foot, a rounded marly and a narrow spreading rim. Cream white porcelaineous ware covered with a white slip and a transparent colorless glaze which stops on the foot and covers the base, and decorated on the cavetto with a circular medallion enclosing a curious version of a Chinese dragon, set open a field of an all-over pattern of floral and arabesque tracery and on the marly with repeat pendant trefoil medallions, which enclose lotus leaves and stylized lotus flowers and are connected with scalloped bands, from which hang lotus flowers and tassels, all in a pale blue under the glaze. The rim has a border of jasmine flower vines and the back is decorated with wavy vines of foliated arabesques and lotus flowers in underglaze blue. The base has an indistinct potter's mark in underglaze blue and the foot is chipped.
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
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). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Collection Fund, 11.33. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 11.33_PS9.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 11.33_PS9.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2014
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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RECORD COMPLETENESS
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we welcome any additional information you might have.
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
