61 / 76
3 /1 9 6 2 K a n d e
P e rs ie n , 13. å r h u n d re d e s f ø r s te h a lv d e l
G rå h v id , h å r d tb r æ n d t s k æ rv d e k o r e r e t m e d r ø d t,
h v id t o g g u ld o v e r e n o p a k tu r k is g la s u r.
H :2 8 ,5 , D ia m :1 8
D e t e r e t b e g ræ n s e t u d v a lg a f fa rv e r, s o m k a n tåle
d e h ø je te m p e r a tu r e r v e d e n g la s u r b ra n d . M e n
o m k r in g s lu tn in g e n a f d e t
12
. å r h u n d re d e k o m
p e rs is k e p o tte m a g e r e u d e n o m p r o b le m e t v e d o g
så a t d e k o re r e o v e r d e n e e n g a n g b r æ n d te g la s u r,
e n f re m g a n g s m å d e , s o m d e k e n d te fra lu s tr e te k
n ik k e n , m e n s o m d e a ld rig h a v d e a n v e n d t til a n
d re fa rv e r. D e n n e ty p e k e ra m ik , d e r e r v e lre p r æ
s e n te r e t i D a v id s S a m lin g , k a ld e s
minai
(em a lje )
o g e r p r æ g e t a f e n in d til d a u k e n d t fa rv e p r a g t o g a f
e n o fte f ig u r r ig d e k o r a tio n , d e r k a n v æ k k e m in
d e ls e r o m s a m tid ig t b o g m a le ri.
D e n v is te k a n d e , h v is f o r m k la r t e r a fle d t a f
s a m tid ig e m e ta lk a n d e r, e r re t e n k e l i sin fa rv e -
h o ld n in g m e n til g e n g æ ld u d s ty r e t m e d e n re
lie ffris e m e d fo rs k e llig e firb e n e d e d y r s a m t e n k æ
d e a f 14 in d iv id u e lt u d f o r m e d e d a n s e rin d e r lig e le
d e s i r e lie f o g a c c e n tu e re t m e d o v e r g la s u r f a r v e r .
P å tr o d s a f K o ra n e n s f o r b u d m o d a fb ild n in g e r
a f le v e n d e v æ s n e r fin d e s d isse h e lt tilb a g e i d e n
tid lig e is la m is k e h is to r ie , d o g a ltid i v e rd s lig e
s a m m e n h æ n g e : p å b r u g s g e n s ta n d e , i fy rs te rn e s
s lo tte e lle r i d isse s illu m in e r e d e m a n u s k r ip te r.
D e n r ig t u d s m y k k e d e m in a ik e r a m ik v a r k o s t
b a r, o g d e n b le v i s a m tid ig e k ild e r o m ta lt i s a m
m e n h æ n g m e d e ffe k te r a f g u ld o g sø lv .
3/1962 Jug
Persia, first half of 13th century
Grey-white, hard-fired body decorated with red, white
and gold over an opaque turquoise glaze.
H:28.5, Diam:18
Only a limited selection of colours can tolerate the high
temperatures necessary for glaze firing. But towards the
end of the 12th century, Persian potters got round the
problem by decorating over the once-firedglaze, aproce
dure which they knew from the lustre technique but
which they had never used for other colours. This type
ofpottery, which is well represented in the David Col
lection, is called minai (enamel) and is characterized by
a wealth of colour hitherto unknown and by a style of
decoration that is rich in figures and reminiscent of con
temporary miniature painting.
The jug shown here, whose shape derives from metal
jugs of the same period, is fairly simple in its colouring
but on the other hand is furnished with a relieffrieze
depicting various four-legged animals and a chain of
fourteen individually delineated dancing girls, likewise
in relief and accentuated by overglaze colours.
Despite the Koran’s law against representations of
living creatures, these are to be found right back to the
earliest period of Islamic history, though always in a
secular context: on articles of everyday use, in the
palaces of princes, or in the illuminated manuscripts of
such palaces.
This richly decorated minai pottery was costly, and in
contemporary sources it is referred to in conjunction with
items ofgold and silver.
58