Lot Essay
Dishes from Kirman in the second half of the 17th century are known for their use of Chinese blue and white motifs coupled with distinctively Persian polychrome slip painting. As Chinese pottery became increasingly popular, Kirman potters sought to replicate this success and profit from the growing industry.
Our dish is a perfect example of intermingling influences. The green and brick-red carnations are “reminiscent of Mughal pietra dura” (Lisa Golombek, Persian Pottery in the First Global Age, Boston, 2014, p. 104.) whereas the blue clustered flowers on an incised white ground is distinctively Chinese. The earliest dated example of this style is in the David Collection, Copenhagen (acc.no.10), dated AH 1084 / 1673-74 AD. This dish has the same colour palette and use of carnations.
A Kirman dish sharing these characteristics can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc.no.91.1.92). Another closely related example was sold in these Rooms, 5 Oct 2012, lot 683. For an example of the incised white palmettes, see a dish in the Louvre, Paris (acc.no.AD 5216).
Our dish is a perfect example of intermingling influences. The green and brick-red carnations are “reminiscent of Mughal pietra dura” (Lisa Golombek, Persian Pottery in the First Global Age, Boston, 2014, p. 104.) whereas the blue clustered flowers on an incised white ground is distinctively Chinese. The earliest dated example of this style is in the David Collection, Copenhagen (acc.no.10), dated AH 1084 / 1673-74 AD. This dish has the same colour palette and use of carnations.
A Kirman dish sharing these characteristics can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc.no.91.1.92). Another closely related example was sold in these Rooms, 5 Oct 2012, lot 683. For an example of the incised white palmettes, see a dish in the Louvre, Paris (acc.no.AD 5216).