Overglaze-painted, so-called mina'i and lajvardina wares. Overglaze-painting can be
considered as the final word in pottery decoration. It was invented and introduced in
Iran c. 1170. The earliest known dated mina'i bowl is from 1179 AD. The term Persian
heft rengi, or "seven colours" is also used for the mina'i wares, since seven colours
were used, not necessarily all on the same vessel, for the decoration. One colour, blue
was always applied under the glaze, but the others were over it. Figural representations,
scenes from the Shahnama, "the Book of Kings", or just simply revellers and musicians were
frequently painted on these vessel, like e.g. on a ewer in the collection (CER0461TSR).
Another favourite topic is the meeting of two horsemen under a blossoming tree with a pool
in the foreground (CER0456TSR) Some vessels have dense floral or geometrical designs
(CER0454TSR). There are no dated vessels after the Mongol invasion and it is very likely
that the style and technique has somewhat altered. Instead of a colourless glaze light blue
or green glaze was applied and the range of colours was reduced to black, red, gold and white
and some of the designs were moulded. These vessels may be dated to the mid-13th century
and can be considered as transitional ware from mina'i to lajvardina. A large bowl in the
Tareq Rajab Museum belongs to this traditional type (CER1531TSR). There are sixteen mina'i
vessels in the Museum's collection.
The lajvardina technique, (the word comes from the Persian word lajvard, meaning "cobalt"),
implies the application of a cobalt-blue glaze on the body of the vessels and tiles.
Over this glaze the decoration was painted in black, red or white, while the frequently
used gold was cut out of thin goldleafs and then glued to the body. The decorative themes
were restricted to floral designs and palmettes. Figural representation is rare, if present
it shows animals or fish. There are eleven pieces of laqabi wares in the Museum. One of
them is a bowl with floral and diamond decoration (CER0466TSR) and there is also a tile with
an inscription, giving a quotation from the Qur'an, Surat XLVIII, verse 2(CER0464TSR).
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The Lajvardina technique
Overglaze-Painted