Lustre bowl with peacock
Iraq, probably Basra
Tin-glazed earthenware, with lustre painted over the glazes
Museum no. C.1309-1924
Given by Monsieur Georges Tabbagh
The potters of Iraq invented the lustre technique. By using metallic pigments to decorate their whitewares, they were able to imitate precious metal vessels. The dotted background, for example, copies the ring-matted texturing on gold and silver.
Like the tin-glaze technique, lustre spread across the Middle East to Europe, where Spain became an important centre of production.