A SAFAVID BLUE AND WHITE CHINESE INSPIRED POTTERY BOTTLE
Safavid Iran, 17th century

Fritware body, resting on a disc foot, the bottle has a pear-shaped body with an elongated neck. The exterior is painted with underglaze cobalt blue and darker outlines, depicting figures seated on grass and among vegetal elements. The neck is further decorated with a meander band, Chinese-inspired cloud-like motifs, and elongated acanthus leaves, almost entirely covered by the silver mouth rim. A pseudo-Chinese mark within a square is present at the base.

These wares were typically made of fritware and decorated with cobalt-blue underglaze designs on a white or creamy background. Common motifs included floral patterns and arabesques, often blending Chinese-inspired aesthetics with distinctly Persian decorative attitude. The blue-and-white Safavid production was inspired by Chinese porcelain imported via the Silk Road and maritime trade, as these wares were highly prized both in Safavid Persia—where they were collected in the chini-khana (cf. the Shah Abbas collection in Ardabil)—and in Ottoman Turkey (cf. the extensive collection at the Topkapi Palace).

24cm high

For further reference on the subject see: Crowe Y., Persia and China: Safavid blue and white ceramics in the Victoria & Albert Museum 1501-1738. London, Thames and Hudson, 2002.