Earthenware Bowl with White slip and Polychrome Decoration · 11th century · Earthenware; white slip with polychrome slip decoration under transparent glaze · Iran
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 65.270.4 · CC0 · Museum record
One catalogued Iranian example whose museum medium line names this material; not a defining specimen.
Origin
Local beds near Kashan, Meybod, Hamadan and Lalejin.
Properties
- Plastic when wet
- Fires red to buff
- Takes slips and glazes
- Porous unless glazed
Preparation
Weathered, levigated, wedged, then thrown or pressed and biscuit-fired.
Care & preservation
Support weight fully when handling; glaze crazing traps soluble salts.
General guidance only. For valuable or fragile pieces, consult a qualified conservator before cleaning or treatment.
Clay bodies and stonepaste are not interchangeable
Clay-rich earthenware and quartz-rich stonepaste have different recipes and working behaviour. Stonepaste, also called fritware, contains substantial quartz with glass and clay components; it is not simply a pale local clay. A white body or glossy glaze does not establish the recipe. Record the support separately from slip, glaze and painted decoration.
Forming and firing evidence
Throwing, moulding, slab construction and handbuilding can leave different traces. A circular mark need not mean wheel throwing: turning and trimming can occur on other constructions. Firing schedules differ between bodies and decoration systems, so a single temperature is misleading. Museum descriptions and maker process records are stronger than judging technique from silhouette alone.
Damage and restoration
Crazing is a network in the glaze; a body crack passes through the support. Old fills, overpaint and adhesives may conceal losses or introduce vulnerable materials. Soluble salts can damage porous ceramics under changing moisture conditions, but not every white deposit is a salt diagnosis. Map damage and disclose restoration before discussing age or value.
Handling and functional claims
Support a vessel from the body and base, not an old handle or repaired rim. Avoid soaking porous, restored or archaeologically recovered ceramics. Decorative glaze, an antique date or a shiny surface does not establish food safety. A contemporary food-use vessel needs object-specific information on intended use and applicable testing; a historical vessel should be treated as a collection object.
Practical questions
- Does a glaze make a vessel waterproof and food-safe? Not necessarily; condition and composition matter.
- Is every pale Persian ceramic fritware? No; identify the body separately.
| Feature | What it can tell you | What it cannot establish |
|---|---|---|
| White body | Visible body colour | Stonepaste composition |
| Crazing | Glaze cracking | Antiquity or food safety |
| Repair line | Possible intervention | Original manufacture date |
References and further reading
- [1] H. E. Wulff, The Traditional Crafts of Persia, MIT Press, 1966.Historical craft-process context, not authentication of a specific object.
- [2] Canadian Conservation Institute — Caring for cultural objects ↗Preventive care; treatment must be assessed for the actual materials.
These sources provide context, not authentication or provenance for an individual object. Editorial interpretations remain under review.
Used in these crafts
Square polychrome tiles painted with several overglaze colours and fired together, allowing large architectural schemes to be produced faster than cut tile mosaic.
A technique of architectural revetment in which monochrome glazed tiles are cut into small individual pieces to a template and set together, glaze face down, into a mortar bed to form complex polychrome patterns and inscriptions.
A regional pottery tradition centred on the town of Lalejin near Hamadan, producing thrown and press-moulded glazed and unglazed earthenware, from utilitarian storage vessels to decorative tableware, in a large number of household workshops.
Earthenware decorated with coloured slips under a clear or tinted glaze, including early Islamic Nishapur-type wares and later village production such as Lalejin.