Shelf 1. Persia

Top shelf

Persian ceramics are a relatively unexplored topic. Archaeological excavations have not been undertaken here to the same extent as in the rest of the world, and very little of the recovered ceramic art has been dated, which has made it difficult to map out the history and development of ceramics in the region. What’s more, much of what has been dug up was in fragments.

On the other hand, researchers have identified the city of Kashan, in what is now central Iran, as an important center for the production of ceramic arts. For example, Kashan is the name of a particular type of Persian ceramics characterized by painting already glazed and fired earthenware with a second glazing. On the underside of several of the vases on this shelf it says “Kashan,” which suggests that these earthenware objects originated in that city.