Persian fritware bowl, Oriental flowers, 17th century

minor staining, glaze crazed, no restoration.

20.3cm wide, 9.5cm high

The fritwares of the Persian kingdoms are the descendants of the faience of ancient Egypt. The basic ingredient is sand, mixed in a loosely bonded slurry, shaped into a vessel and dried in the sun; decoration is then added, restricted to basic earth pigments and mostly cobalt blue; once fired, the surface vitrifies into glass, and this is what gives the entire piece its strength. Inside the surface glassy layer, the body remains soft & crumbly, and as a result pieces in reasonable condition are scarce.