Cleveland Museum of Art

Luster Dish with Polo Player

Date

1170–1200

Medium

fritware with luster-painted design

Culture

Iran, Seljuq period (1037–1194)

Department

Islamic Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Luster potters migrated to the city of Kashan in Iran where luster ware reached its greatest height during the 1170s until about 1220. This masterful dish features a mounted polo player, a figure representing the Iranian ideal of beauty with a round moon-like face and fine features. Where fine clay was unavailable, potters made a paste out of ground quartz, clay, and glass. When fired, the paste created a compact white material called fritware that approximated the appearance of porcelain.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.