SAFAVID IRAN, LATE 17TH CENTURY

Named for the trading post on the south coast of Iran also known as Bandar Abbas, ceramics from Gombroon sought to emulate the Chinese porcelain that was so prized in Iran for both its aesthetic appeal and its technical qualities. Both these bowls, and that of the following lot are decorated with incised lines that form stylised motifs. Light shining through these lines creates a play of translucency and opacity and emphasize the thinness of the walls – a characteristic of Chinese porcelain that the Iranian craftsmen sought to emulate (Maryam D. Ekhtiar, Priscilla P. Soucek, Sheila R. Canby and Navina Najat Haidar, Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2011, p.233).