Posted 11 years ago
Stillwater
(217 items)
I usually stay away from damaged pieces, but sometimes if the piece is old or rare enough, some chips can be forgiven. This came out of a very, very wealthy house on an exclusive mountain in Scottdale. The woman was tied into the high society of Scottsdale and she had some really nice things. She was also a famous artist but I can't remember her name... Usually those things are a sign that the house has good things in it. I'm guessing its at LEAST 150 years old and maybe older.
Anyway, I'm at a complete loss here. Can't really tell what kind of clay its from. China?? Middle East?? (She had a lot of Asian things, so maybe that can help)
Can anyone give me any single clue at all as to the origin or age? Any guess or tidbit would GREATLY appreciated.
Best regards,
Still
95% sure its Islamic Safavid pottery from the 18th century or earlier.
Hi Stillwater.... I see you posted this on the 20th century forum. I have a few pieces on there myself. I thought this looked more Dutch than Asian when I first saw it. I've not heard of Islamic Safavid before. A very interesting and beautiful piece plus a great find ! -Mike-
Yes, they have some REALLLY super smart people over there, and someone suggested Safavid. You think Dutch? I'm really not 100% sure its Safavid/Islamic, it just looked very close to what I saw on Google Images, and the estate it came from was filled with Asian stuff. I'm not familiar with old Dutch ceramics, I'll plug it into Google and see if I can find anything similar. Thanks a lot for the advice Mike!
- Still
Wow, Stillwater, nice find! The thumbnail looked Italian to me at first, but when I opened it, that crazed, high-gloss glaze told me I was in for a learning experience. Thanks for following up with your findings so we can all benefit. Oddly enough, I just spent 7 hours today trying to figure out a plate I bought this week in a thrift store. It just happens to also have a very simple handpainted Italian or French-looking peasant design in opacified manganese brown and copper green underglaze pigments. Initially I thought it was early tin glazed earthenware, maybe maiolica acacia or early Faience. What threw me when I picked it up for the first time were its weight and this super-glossy, crazed glaze - a LOT like yours - how weird is that? Upon closer inspection, I noticed that white slip covers the whole body, including the unglazed dry foot. The last piece of the puzzle is that the thick, glass-like glaze is amber colored. I had never heard of Safavid, although I had considered Islamic and Hispano-Moresque, but they don't have this type of simplistic decoration. You may have cracked the case!
Like you, I'll usually only buy a piece with damage if it striks me as very rare and/or special. This bowl has a long hairline crack, but I had to have it anyway. After all, there are plenty of broken ceramics and small fragments on display in all the best museums around the world. Sometimes, I just like something and the damage brings the price down so much that I can't walk away...like the two Chinese large blue and white lotus scroll chargers I picked up for 25 CENTS EACH, because they each had a chip on the rim. They also sold me a large chipped bowl in a similar pattern that day for 50 cents. SOLD!!! :D
I'm glad to know there are others out there who love the thrill of the chase for information about their latest mystery/unmarked piece. I've become so addicted, that I often pass on items with factory marks...although that's also due in part to the fact I know they can't be too old if they have one.
Oh boy, am I going to have a good time on this site! I have been researching my stuff for years and have learned so much that I actually might be of help to other people, and now I can see if my conclusions on my own pieces are right. Learning the history of ceramics has taught me the history of the world...it's.amazing to me how entwined they are.