Fine and rare 11th century Persian Nishapur buffware pottery large charger with wide flat rim, decorated in red and black with calligraphic motifs to centre and around rim. Damaged and repairs as is usual. From a private Scottish collection of Islamic Pottery formed over 50 years ago. Many similar items can be seen in Metropolitan Museum of Art.
SIZE; 37cm diameter
CIRCA; 11th Century
Situated on the great plateau of central Iran, Nishapur was for centuries an important political and cultural centre: a seat of governmental power in eastern Islam, a dwelling place for diverse ethnic and religious groups, a trading stop on commercial routes from Transoxiana and China, Iraq and Egypt. Nishapur's most significant period when the buffware was produced extended from the ninth century to 1221, when, after repeated earthquake disasters and military occupations, the city was devastated by the Mongols.
