Why was this bowl made?
Lusterware ceramics, like the WAM bowl, were first created in response to potters in West Asia encountering Chinese porcelains. During the 9th and early 10th centuries, the Abbasid Caliphate imported highly valuable Tang Dynasty porcelains from across the Indian Ocean and up the Persian Gulf. The Abbasid court deeply admired the beauty of these Chinese wares. As a result of these cross-cultural transactions, earthenware became accepted as worthy of royal use for the first time in Islamic society. Potters in this region shared the Caliphate's affinity for Chinese porcelains and were deeply impressed by the elegance, strength, and whiteness of these imports. As such, they sought to mimic the milky white surfaces, thin walls, elegant profiles, and durability of Chinese ceramic white wares.
Chinese ceramicists used clay with kaolin deposits, resulting in a fine, white consistency in porcelain production. However, the earthenware clay available to Islamic potters in West Asia was not equipped to create ceramics of either Chinese color or consistency due to a lack of kaolin deposits in the soil. Thus, these potters had to experiment with earthenware and various glazing techniques to approach the white glaze and thin forms used by Chinese potters. Lusterware resulted from these experiments.
Early West Asian potters realized that covering an earthenware ceramic with a lead and tin oxide glaze would create an opaque white surface similar to Chinese ceramics. This white base was then painted with silver and copper metallic oxide glazes to develop the monochrome-on-white aesthetic they sought. However, firing these metallic oxides had the added benefit of creating a unique shimmer and iridescence on the ceramic's surface.
From the beginning, lusterware was created as luxury ceramics intended to be used in Islamic royal courts. Due to the complex nature of the lusterware firing and glazing process, these ceramics were incredibly expensive and were not widely produced. Only royal court members could afford to purchase and use them as dinnerware. These ceramics' aesthetics also reflected their status as feast ware. Abbasid luster ceramics, created for the royal courts at Baghdad and Samarra, were decorated to reflect the power and prestige of the caliph. Decorative motifs frequently included rulers feasting, royals being entertained, righteous battles, animals associated with good luck, and auspicious inscriptions bestowing blessings on the caliph. In later years, lusterware created for the Persian Seljuk and Ilkhanid courts percolated into the hands of an emerging wealthy urban class that also coveted the deluxe dinnerware. As a result, images of courtiers enthroned, feasting, and hunting became more prevalent.
The figural element in its decoration suggests that this bowl was used for a secular feasting context. Additionally, the metallic quality of the lusterware visually mimics gold, which is significant because, in Islamic religious practice, Muslims are not supposed to eat from golden ware. Thus, lusterware's ceramic materiality provided a loophole for luxury dinnerware.
Due to their luxury status, expensive lusterware was valued across cultures. Europeans in the Spanish courts of Saville and later European crusaders sought out and used lusterware items despite their Islamic production and form.
Grace P. Morrissey, College of the Holy Cross, Class of 2022
