Ceramics and Pottery Arts and Resources

 

 

Rishtan ceramic vase with paisley decoration   –  Diyorjon Nazirov

 

Trading on the Silk Road played a significant role in the development of the civilizations of China, Korea, Japan, India, Iran, Afghanistan, Europe and Arabia. Many pottery centers flourished along its route including Jingdezhen in China, Iznik in Turkey, Kashan in Persia, Basra in Iraq, Tabriz in Iran (Azerbaijan), Rishtan in Uzbekistan and Arita in Japan.
They fostered multi-cultural interaction and in addition to economic trade, the Silk Road became a  route for cultural trade among the civilizations along its network. Along with the goods traded, their philosophies, art techniques, sciences, religious concepts and technologies were shared. For instance, techniques, shapes, and decorative motifs of Chinese ceramics were admired and emulated by Islamic potters, especially after the Mongol and Timurid invasions. Likewise, Islamic pottery styles were absorbed and created by the Chinese for gaining  penetration into the markets of Central Asia and the Middle East.

Numerous pieces are on display below of the ubiquitous, vibrant turquoise and azure wares that traversed the Silk Road from China to Europe and the artistic influences that spread from Central Asia and beyond.

 

Iznik pottery jug, Turkey circa 1560

 

 

Plate with Youth in Landscape Setting. Safavid period, early 17th century,  Iran

Cincinnati Art Museum

 

Uzbek ceramic panel depicting a woman playing lute

Alisher Navoi station, Tashkent

 

 

 

Rustam Usmanov horse riding hunter plate

Rishtan

 

 

Azure vase with minaret inspired base

 

 

Uzbek Rishtan ceramics

 

 

Alisher Nazirov ceramic plate in “Ishkor” blues

 

One of the oldest locations for the ceramic arts in Central Asia is situated in Rishtan, located in the Ferghana Valley, in Uzbekistan. Currently there are over 2000 active potters, accounting for about 1/10 of the population, honoring their ancient pottery tradition. This stretches back over 1000 years, when it was a thriving center during the days of the Silk Road. Celebrated for their diverse blue hues, their colour pallettes range from deep cobalt blues to azure and turquoise.

 

Ceramic tile panel – Rustam Usmanov, Rishtan

 

The renowned ‘Ishkor’ glaze is closely connected with the art of traditional Uzbek ceramics, and is a source of pride for the “Usto” (Uzbek pottery masters) This is influenced by a local herb called Kyrk-Bugin, which translates as “forty stems” and is only harvested in Autumn (September). After harvesting, the plant is then burnt in the field and converted into ashes, then roasted again in the studio in a “gundam” oven at a temperature of 1200-1300 °F , thereby bringing the ashes to a crystallized state.
This is then ground into a powder and mixed with crushed white river stones, quartz sand and even flour and painted as a glaze onto ceramic articles over pre applied colours that have already dried.
Cobalt can be added to the ishkor glaze to create turquoise, azure and blue colors while copper is added for green hues and manganese for browns. The presence of the Ishkor is attributed to creating the rich color depth and brilliance of the Rishtan ceramics.

 

Kyrk-Bugin, a special herb and a critical component of the Rishtan ‘Ishkor’ glaze

 

 

Rustam Usmanov ceramic ‘ishkor’ blue wares, Rishtan, Ferghana Valley

 

 

Bowl with the Arabic Inscription of ‘Blessing, Prosperity, Well-being, Happiness’

Late 10th to 11th century–Nishapur — The Met

 

The Samanids (819-999 CE) were probably one of the most important dynasties in the eastern part of the Islamic world during the early Islamic period. Their realm included large centres like Samarkand (Afrasiyab), Bukhara, Merv, Nishapur and Kerman. The most important contribution of Samanid artists to Islamic pottery-making was the invention and perfection of the slip-painted ware. There are several types of this ware known today, and in general can be divided into the following main groups black on white, polychrome on white, decoration on coloured ground slip imitation of monochrome lustre.

These slip-painted wares constitute a great advance in pottery decoration. Normally the pigment runs in the kiln under the lead glaze, as it was practiced in Mesopotamia in early Abbasid times on splashed wares. By the introduction of a ground slip and slip pigments, potters could control the designs while in the kiln, and thus were able to produce a great variety of surface decorations.

 

Northern Qi ceramic flask with Central Asian dancer and musicians

 

 

 

Large Jingdezhen blue and white charger made for the Islamic market

China, 17th century—Southebys

 

 

Tang earthenware fragment with sancai glaze excavated in Nishapur, Iran

End of 7th, early 8th century

 

 

Antique Russian Islamic style silver and enamel lidded vessel

 

 

 

Pair of Chinese cloisonné enamel camel censers with gold highlights

20th century

 

 

Kashan star shaped lustre pottery tile with phoenix,Persia, 13th century

Arts of the Islamic World Auction – Sotheby’s

 

Persian Kashan turquoise glazed bottle,  circa 1200

With spherical body on short foot rising to the tearing tubular neck & flaring deep cusped mouth with everted lip

 

 

 

Rare Kashan Minai Bowl depicting Prince Faridun, Kava and Zahhak from Firdawsi’s Shahnameh

Persia, late 12th-early 13th century

 

 

Pair of Iznik vases

 

Ottoman Kütahya Plate

 

 

Boch Freres Keramic Art Deco Vase in the Iznik Style, Belgium

 

 

Caravanserai_of_Sa’d_al-Saltaneh

Qazvin

 

 

Green Uzbek porcelain bowls

 

 

 

Chinese Cloisonne Vase-–-Islamic Motifs

 

 

Coupe Porcelain turquoise Plate

Bukhara, Uzbekistan

 

 

Peacock dish with artichoke and leaf decoration. Turkey, ‘Iznik’

c. 1550.

Islamic Arts

 

 

Persian tile, Falconer riding white horse

19th century–National-Museums-Scotland

 

 

Donkey rotating  grinding stone for clay

 

 

The Kalta Minar Minaret, Khiva, Uzbekistan

 

 

Two English Ironstone Vases in the Manner of Turkish Iznik Ware

 

 

Female street vendor in Bukhara with ceramic wares

 

 

Hand made blue pottery of Jaipur, another iconic piece that originated in Persia and came to Rajasthan in the early 1800’s

 

 

Hand painted ceramics, Rishtan, Uzbekistan

foto by Ana Filonov

 

 

Ceramics figure of a potter – The Narzullaevs Gijduvan

Bukhara, Uzbekistan

 

 

 

Massive fortress called the Ark — perhaps the oldest building in Bukhara

 

 

Colorful Bird of Happiness plate — Uzbekistan

 

 

Turkish Iznik ceramic bowl set

 

 

Iznik Ceramic Tile by Ohannessian, renowned Armenian Potter

Jerusalem

c 1930’s

Iznik ceramic wares—Flickr Shahrazad

 

 

Turkish ceramic Bottle with medallions and flowering branches.

Turkey, ‘Iznik’, c.1535-45

 

 

Nasrudin Khodja riding his donkey, Bukhara

 

 

Lobmeyr Persian-style gilded and enamelled two-handled clear glass bottle vase

Vienna, 19th-20th century

 

Silver and Enamel Islamic lidded box

 

 

Monumental French Jacob Petit porcelain sherbetlik made for the Ottoman market

19th century

 

 

Moorcroft ‘Bukhara’ vase by Shirley Hayes

2001

 

 

Pisces plate

Rustam Usmanov, Rishtan, Uzbekistan

 

 

Rustam Usmanov Studio plates

 

 

Large ceramic charger — Rishtan

 

 

Rishtan pomegranate platter

 

 

 

Rishtan pottery teapot and cups

 

 

 

Alisher Nazirov with his Rishton wares

 

 

Samarquand Tabriz bowl–Stonepaste; painted in black under turquoise glaze, incised (Kubachi-ware)

second half 15th century

 

 

Traditional Uzbek mastava soup-–-with lamb, vegetables and rice-–-served with patterned flatbreads and Uzbek dinner ware

 

 

Bronze sculpture — Uzbek Girl with a Jug by Vera Mukhina—-1933

 

 

Ceramic tiled Minaret of Tilla Kari Madressa

Uzbekistan, Samarkand, Registan,

 

Fergana Airport, Uzbekistan

 

 

Teahouse in Margilan, Fergana Valley

 

 

Monumental blue and white Uzbek vase

 

 

Rich turquoise and blue glazed Uzbek ceramic vase

 

 

Uzbekistan Rishtan potter on wheel

 

 

Bakhtiyor Nazirov with his pottery

Rishtan

 

 

 

Sitki Olcar candle holder – Turkey

 

 

Middle Eastern Vase with floral motif and calligraphy

 

 

Arabesque calligraphic motif on a Uzbek plate

 

 

Iznik 16th Century vase

 

 

 

Large relief at the exit to Buyuk Ipak Yuli (Great Silk Road) station in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

photographer, Amos Chapple

 

 

Relief Silk Road mural at Almaty

 

Tile fragment, Bukhara, about 1359

Uzbekistan

 

 

Iran, probably Kashan  — fritware with running animal design in carved and underglaze-painted slip

Seljuk Period, 12th-13th Century