Technique

Lustre firing

زرین‌فام

A metallic sheen made by painting metal compounds over glaze and firing in a smoky kiln.

Process, step by step

  1. Glaze and fire the ware
  2. Paint lustre
  3. Refire in a reducing atmosphere

Variations

Kashan was a leading lustre centre in the 12th–13th centuries.

Conservation

Do not polish lustre; it wears off.

Used in these crafts

Lustreware (Zarrin-fam)

A ceramic decoration in which metallic oxides are painted onto a glazed surface and fired in a reducing kiln to produce a metallic sheen, associated especially with Kashan.