Thread by @medievalpoc

I <3 Hispano-Moresque ware! This style of pottery was created in Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain), and incorporated/blended Islamic & European elements. It was the most elaborate and luxurious pottery being produced in Europe until the 15th century.

This lusterware is interesting from a lot of different angles: the political events that led to its creation, the science that goes into its production, and its social & economic functions. Also VERY PRETTY, like most everything from medieval Iberia: metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ccmi/h…

Some of the most famous pieces are the Alhambra Vases. The originals would have been from the 1300s. To give an idea of the impact & detail, Joseph-Théodore Deck made a copy for exhibition in the 1860s or so that resides at @V_and_A
collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O84929/al…

The technique was developed in 9th Century Iraq, and made its way to Spain via the Almorovids, who controlled Al-Andalus, Algeria, Morocco, and important ports along the Sahara (through which trans-Saharan trade goods made their way into Europe) metmuseum.org/toah/hd/almo/h…

I'd love to explain all about the Art of the Nasrid Period (1232–1492), but it's super complex so please just read this: metmuseum.org/toah/hd/nasr/h…
and gaze upont the beauty that resulted from people of many different religions, races, and circumstances working together

If you really want documented political history and/OR like reading about vinegar and oxides being mixed and painted onto bisque fired porcelain & looking at diagrams of kilns as much as I do, then this PDF from @metmuseum is what you want to be reading: metmuseum.org/pubs/bulletins…

For centuries, everyone in Europe was absolutely clamoring for this type of pottery: tableware, showpieces, and even containers used in hospitals. You can find it everywhere from 14th century Italian panel paintings to...Historic Jamestown:
historicjamestowne.org/collections/ce…

I tried for a very long time to find a good photo of a painting discussed in the PDF above, in which every dish used at a banquet was this type of lusterware, but alas! It was referred to as "Court Feast" & attributed to Apollonio di Giovanni, well known for his lavish Cassones

I might talk some more about Cassones (Italian Wedding Chests) another time.
If you'd like to know more about the Alhambra vases (other than they're about four feet tall!) here's some delicious JSTOR: jstor.org/stable/1523138

And here's a delightful PDF about Hispano-Moresque *rugs* and how they ended up in so many medieval European paintings: metmuseum.org/pubs/bulletins…

And lastly I just wanted to thank all of you for caring about old pottery with me-it goes over a lot better here than at parties or on long car trips. If you'd like to support what I do here, my Patreon is in my profile, or you can just send a tip!
ko-fi.com/medievalpoc