The earliest lustres were most likely made in Iraq during the reign of Harun al Rashid (AD 766-809, or AH 144-187 in the Islamic Calendar). The history of lustres suggests that until Abu'l Qasim published his book about 1300, the technique was a closely guarded secret of one family or guild of potters, who moved through the Islamic empire as the fortunes of the cities waxed and waned. The beginnings of this guild are found in the 8th century, near the towns of Baghdad and Basra in modern-day Iraq.
The oldest extant examples of lustre found today appear on decorative tiles and vessels found in Islamic royal courts, including the Abassid Caliph's palace in Samarra called Qasr al-Khalifa. Other early lustres have been found at the Mosque of Kerouian in Tunisia; the court of the Hammanid princess in Qal'a, Algeria; and in the court of Ahman ibn Tulun in Fustat, Egypt. These vessels were likely all created in Basra, and are mostly small bowls (12-16 centimeters wide), with turned-out rims. Other forms known from these buildings are a few larger bowls, flat dishes and tiles.
The earliest lustres were wildly multicolored, what art historians call polychrome. Each vessel or tile had between three to four colors: brown and amber; olive green; orange-yellow; and a red sometimes so dark as to appear to be black. The earliest designs were intricate tiny flowers, leaves, check patterns, wheels, beads, and a variety of foliage designs. These designs were drawn with a thin line of golden-amber and then filled in with panels of small-scale patterns. Although the lustre was variable in these pots and it is clear that the potters were wrestling with the technique, many pieces contain multiple effects in adjacent decorations, showing a strong, creative control.
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 lusterware. 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.
