In spite of the ever increasing interest in Islamic
ceramics, information on kilns, moulds, and
other related objects is still relatively scarce.
What is known is that moulds were used even
before the creation of fritware, for the production
of lead glazed relief ware during the early
Abbasid period (8th-9th centuries CE), and
always were made of red or buff earthenware. A
reliable attribution of provenance and dating is
quite a difficult task, since the actual place
whence these moulds originated is not known.
The moulds can be typologically divided into two
groups: moulds for the interior of the vessel and
moulds for the shaping of the exterior of the
vessel. The mould here illustrated is made of red
earthenware in a hemispherical form and inside
has a vertical join used as a handle. Since the
decoration appears exclusively on the outside, it
is clear that it was used for the interior
decoration on a bowl of similar size. The surface
is organized in concentric registers of intricate
scrollwork, the sides ornamented with a
undulated wave in bas-relief, set against an
incised background of foliate pattern. The
cavetto was left unadorned. Judging from such
an intricate foliate decoration, this mould would
seem to point to a 13th century dating. ) Mould,
buff earthenware with moulded decoration. It was
designed to shape the interior of bowls;
hemispherical with a handle inside and the
outside decorated with meandering scrolls which
are decorated by zigzag lines and form large
roundels with the figure of a bird or an animal
inside. Iran or Central Asia, 10th – 11th century.
Prof. Geza Fehervari Prof. Geoffrey King -
(LO.544)
- (LO.544)
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