Safavid Ceramics and Chinese Inspiration

Islamic Art and Material Culture Subject Specialist Network
3. An Introduction to Islamic Ceramics: Safavid Ceramics and Chinese Inspiration
Chinese porcelain was imported into the Middle East almost from its inception. Porcelain — a translucent,
white-bodied ware made from kaolin (china clay) and baidunzi (petuntse, a feldspathic rock) — arrived in waves,
dictated primarily by isolationist policies in China, which fluctuated during the Ming and early Qing dynasties,
when trade ceased. The brilliant blue-painted porcelain was imported from the early fourteenth century. Its
production was perfected in the 1320s, in Jingdezhen, south China. The blue derived from cobalt oxide, which
was black when painted on the unfired body, but turned the distinctive blue, when fired under a glaze.
In the Middle East, the production of blue-painted ceramics was dictated by whether there was a dearth of
Chinese porcelain in the bazaars. From the 1550s until the 1650s, Chinese blue-painted porcelain was mass-
produced for export markets in the Middle East, India, Europe, Japan and the Americas. However, from the mid-
1640s, because of the fall of the Ming dynasty, exports were reduced and officially ceased in 1657. During the
Safavid dynasty (1501-1736), a period of great economic reform and art patronage in Iran, this provided an
impetus for potters in Kirman and elsewhere to fill the gap in the marketplace with similar wares in fritware.
The Chinese exported shapes were primarily generic, large dishes or

plates, bowls, ewers and bottles; however, one shape - the tall
narrow-necked flasks with knopped necks - might have been made
specifically for the Islamic market (fig. 1). Many of the generic shapes
were imitated convincingly by Iranian potters. They often added a
stylized mark on the base in the form of squares or ‘tassel’-shapes
copying Chinese reign marks or inscriptions. Only a handful of Safavid
fritwares have dated inscriptions.
The Iranian potters were not able to control the blue so used a black
for outlines and to add definition. In the second half of the
seventeenth century, the black was abandoned for a looser, more
fluid blue. At mid-century, Iranian painters mixed design elements
from various historic wares, borrowing from both fourteenth and
seventeenth century sources, on single vessels. Like Iznik wares (See
Toolkit 2, Iznik and its Imitations) large dishes were especially
common, many are now stained from serving rice dishes with greasy
Fig. 1 Knop-necked bottle for the meats.
Middle Eastern market, China, c. 1640.
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O3
3589/bottle-unknown/ The influence of colourful Japanese and Chinese porcelain is also
evident in the introduction of polychrome wares painted in red and
an olive green slip in combination with cobalt blue. Gradually, potters
adapted foreign vessels, such as kendi, drinking vessels for the domestic market, refining their shape for local
use as water pipes for tobacco. In the 1680s, Kangxi, the Chinese emperor, encouraged international trade, and
again, by the 1690s, Iran was flooded with Chinese porcelain imports. This eventually marked the end of a great
period of ceramic production in Iran.
Further Reading
The Arts of Iran, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, http://metmuseum.org/toah/hd/safa_2/hd_safa_2.htm

Shah’ Abbas and the Arts of Isfahan, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, http://metmuseum.org/toah/hd/shah/hd_shah.htm
Crowe, Yolande. Persia and China: Safavid Blue and White Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1501-1738, London
(Thames & Hudson), 2002
Golembek, Lisa, et al. Persian Pottery in the First Global Age : the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, (Brill, Leiden) 2014
Lane, Arthur. Later Islamic Pottery. London: Faber and Faber, 1957
Dish, Kraak ware

Porcelain, cobalt blue underglaze painted
Jingdezhen, China, 1600-40
FE.23-1970
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O496842/dish-unknown/
Kraak ware is the Western name given to thin-bodied Chinese export
ware, characterized by radial panels in the decoration. It is named after
the seafaring Portuguese vessels, carrack, which transported these less
refined wares all over the world.
Dish, after a Chinese original

Fritware, cobalt blue and manganese black underglaze painted
Kirman, Iran, 1640-60
483-1878
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O199529/dish-plate-unknown/
Iranian potters were able to imitate the Kraak designs, especially the
panelled borders with plants alternating with Asian objects – fans,
scrolls and tassels - without understanding what they were. However,
they had trouble creating details with the fugitive cobalt. They
combined it with black created from manganese to add definition to
the designs. Typically, the Iranian cobalt was a more brilliant blue.
Reverse of a dish, Kraak ware

FE.23-1970
Chatter marks often appear on the underside
of Chinese Kraak ware vessels. They are left
by the wooden tool used by potters to flatten
the surface and often hidden by the glaze on
better quality wares as on the left. Another
feature is the sandy kiln grit on the foot rim.
Reverse of the Safavid dish, after a Chinese original

483-1878
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O199529/dish-plate-unknown/
The Iranian potter has very carefully copied

the decoration on the back of an earlier
Chinese Kraak dish. The pattern is probably
diagnostic of a particular workshop or
painter. The dish also has a square seal mark,
imitating Chinese reign marks.
Kendi, drinking vessel

1571-1876
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O33603/kendi-unknown/
This is a Kraak ware communal drinking vessel made for Islamic communities in
South East Asia, known as a kendi. The mammiform spout was held up high and
spurted water so the spout was never contaminated. Typically, the painting is
slap-dash and within panels. Significantly, it was acquired in Iran, where it was
perhaps used as part of water pipe.
Kalian (water pipe), after a kendi shape

998-1876
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O176033/kendi-unknown/
This water pipe imitates a Chinese kendi or drinking vessel. The decoration is a
very convincing imitation, but again it uses black outlines and a much brighter
cobalt blue. The cobalt is fugitive and tends flow, resulting in the fuzziness of the
painting. The fritware body is also sugary in appearance and not smooth or
refined, like the well-levigated Chinese porcelain body.
Kalian (water pipe)

Fritware, cobalt blue underglaze painted with red and green slip
420-1878
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O85915/kalian-unknown/
In the 1670s, Iranian potters slowly moved away from direct imitation and became
more inventive. The water pipe form was streamlined according to local use with
a less obtrusive spout. A new palette of red and green was also introduced,
perhaps inspired by Chinese polychrome ware, known as wucai, or colourful
Japanese Kakiemon-style wares.
Large dish for serving food

Fritware, cobalt blue underglaze painted and incised
890-1876
The geometric decoration on this dish represents a return to traditional Islamic

design, incorporating split palmettes and flowers in trellis patterns, on a wave-
incised ground. The style would have appealed to the Safavid as well as Mughal
elite.
Flask, with Iranian metal collar

Porcelain
Dehua kilns, Fujian province, China, 1620-1720
1649-1876
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O183457/vase-unknown/
Porcelain objects made in Dehua, on the southern coast of China, were also
imported into Iran. The bottle decorated with raised blossoms was acquired
in Iran, where it was repaired with an engraved metal collar. This ware has
been known by a collector’s term, ‘blanc de Chine’, since the 1860s.
Ewer
Fritware
576-1889
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O185857/ewer-unknown/
This white ewer imitates the white Chinese porcelain of Dehua, especially
in the applied decoration. Unlike Chinese porcelain which can withstand
hot liquids, fritware, an artificial porcelain, cracks if filled with hot water.
Dehua (commonly known as “blanc de Chine”) was often used for
teawares, but Safavid whitewares were not used as such. Instead they were
used for wine and cold delicacies (sweetmeats). Historically, in England,
Safavid wares were known as Gombroon ware, after the Iranian port of
Bandar Abbas, then known as Gombroon.
Bowl with ‘pierced’ decoration

Fritware, painted in manganese black and cobalt blue
1399-1876
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O85377/footed-bowl-unknown/
The rim of this bowl was pierced before being glazed, and the glaze has
subsequently filled in the holes with transparent windows. It was perhaps
invented to imitate the translucency of porcelain. Remarkably, the
technique was first used in the Seljuk period, in the late twelfth century.
Dish with Iranian design

Fritware
Isfahan, Iran, 1600-50
1456-1904
The dish reveals the influence of Kraak ware in the panelled decoration and
Chinese polychrome ware in the palette. It was made near the court in
Isfahan. However, the decoration of a swaying willow is from Persian
painting. This ware was thought to have been made in Kubachi, Daghestan,
following the discovery in the nineteenth century of a large cache of similar
wares in the town. In fact they were made near the court in Isfahan.
Prepared by P. Ferguson, 12 July 2016. All images © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Safavid Ceramics and Chinese Inspiration

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Safavid Ceramics and Chinese Inspiration

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How did Chinese porcelain influence Iranian ceramic production?

How did Chinese porcelain influence Iranian ceramic production?

What stylistic changes occurred in Iranian ceramics over time?

What stylistic changes occurred in Iranian ceramics over time?

Islamic Art and Material Culture Subject Specialist Network

3. An Introduction to Islamic Ceramics: Safavid Ceramics and Chinese Inspiration

The Chinese exported shapes were primarily generic, large dishes or

The Arts of Iran, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, http://metmuseum.org/toah/hd/safa_2/hd_safa_2.htm

Dish, Kraak ware

Dish, after a Chinese original

Reverse of a dish, Kraak ware

Reverse of the Safavid dish, after a Chinese original

The Iranian potter has very carefully copied

Kendi, drinking vessel

Kalian (water pipe), after a kendi shape

Kalian (water pipe)

Large dish for serving food

The geometric decoration on this dish represents a return to traditional Islamic

Flask, with Iranian metal collar

Bowl with ‘pierced’ decoration

Dish with Iranian design

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