NORTH IRAN, EARLY 17TH CENTURY

This dish is a particularly elegant example of Kubachi ware. The name derives from the Caucasian town where many examples were found in the 19th century decorating houses. The figure painted here is that of a young man wearing a turban typical of that worn under the reign of Shah Abbas I (1587-1642). By depicting only the bust of human figures, artists such as those who worked on this lot and the following, were attempting an innovative approach, whilst remaining within a traditional framework. At a time where human figures were traditionally presented standing in a floral landscape, the bust-portrait representation constituted a new genre, perhaps influenced by the European mode (Istanbul, Isfahan, Delhi. 3 Capitals of Islamic Art. Masterpieces from the Louvre Collection, Istanbul, 2008, pp.216-17).