Lusterware Plate with Coat of Arms

Place of OriginManises, Valencia, Spain

Dateabout 1370

DimensionsHeight: 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm)
Rim: 17 7/8 in. (45.4 cm)

MediumTin-glazed earthenware with cobalt and luster

ClassificationCeramics

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott

Object number

1954.19

Not on View

Label TextAbbasid Dynasty lusterware from Iraq was exported to al-Andalus (Muslim-ruled Spain) in the 10th century, but by the 13th century, Muslim potters were producing lusterware in Andalusia, especially in the coastal cities of Málaga, Almería, and Murcia. In the 14th century, potters established workshops further north, in the region of Valencia, where this plate comes from. Pseudo-Arabic motifs in cobalt blue encircle a central coat of arms of a noble family. Intricate luster designs embellish the open areas, evoking Mamluk metalwork from Cairo and Damascus of the 14th and 15th centuries.Published ReferencesCatalogue, Frederic Spitzer Collection<\i>, vol IV, 1892, p. 81, no. 9, repr. (col.).
Riefstahl, Rudolf M., "Medieval Art," Toledo Museum News<\i>, New Series, vol. 7, no. 2, Spring 1964, p. 45, repr. (also published as Medieval Art).

Rogers, Millard F., "Spanish Art" Toledo Museum News, New Series, vol. 10, no. 2, Summer 1967, p. 45, repr.
Comparative ReferencesSee also, A. Vande de Put, Hispano-Moresque Ware of the XV Century, New York and London, 1904, p. 50F, pl. V (plate with similar decoration).

See also, Frothingham, Alice Wilson, Lustreware of Spain, New York, 1951, p. 197-204 (describes techniques).

See also, Frothingham, Alice Wilson, Lustreware of Spain, New York, 1951, p. 98-101 (figs. 61-63) (dish with similar decoration).