Before the development of lustreware, plain opaque white glazed wares were made throughout the Islamic world, strongly influenced by Chinese potters. Many shapes and decorative techniques used by the Abbasid potters during this period were meticulously copied from the Chinese. But, because kaolin clay was not available, 9th century potters made vessels using the soft, cream-colored earthenware called Samarra body and covered it with an opaque white glaze.
This Samanid black-on-white epigraphic plate from Nishapur is one of several types of ceramic made by Islamic potters before (and after) the invention of lustreware. It is a plain white plate with a calligraphic design painted in brown and black and fired under a white transparent glaze. The calligraphy on Samanid black-on-white vessels is in the Kufic Arabic script, and often stylized to illegibility.
Charles Wilkinson conducted archaeological research at Nishapur, and discovered three large ceramic kilns and identified 12 styles of pottery made there. Nishapur was a major source of Samanid black-on-white epigraphic pottery for the Islamic world of the time.
Sources
This project is based on the ongoing research of Trinitat Pradell and colleagues. The main sources utilized for the project are listed on the definition page for lustreware. A timeline for the Islamic civilization is also available for consultation.
An excellent source for further information about Islamic ceramics in general with much data on lustres is the Ashmolean Museum's Web-Based Teaching Course on Islamic Ceramics.
