Imre Jakabffy (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 5. (Budapest, 1977)
FEHÉRVÁRI, Géza: A Hoard of Blue and White Sherds from the Dasht-e Kavir
1. MAP OF IRAN, SHOWING THE IMPORTANT ANCIENT CARAVAN ROUTES The five sherds which were presented to the Hopp Museum are numbered 75.15 — to 75.19. Because of their type of decoration, they are discussed here in the following order: 75.16, fragment of a large plate (figs. 2—3), 75.18, base of a bowl (figs. 4—5), 75.15, fragment of a small bowl (figs. 6—7), 75.19, base of a large plate or dish (figs. 8—9), and 75.17, another base fragment of a large plate (figs. 10— 11.) For comparison twenty-seven other sherds are illustrated here (figs. 12—16). The other pieces in the hoard were mainly repetitions of those discussed and illustrated here. It is worth noting in advance, that out of the fifty-seven pieces, two can be easily recognised and picked out as being strikingly different from the rest. These two are 75.16 (figs. 2—3) and DK.23 (figs. 16)/' Both are painted with cobalt-blue, that of 75.16 in two shades of blue, the darker being used as outlines for the decoration. The decoration on the rest of the finds are greyish-blue or in bluish-black. This darker pigment has already been noted by Lane, and he remarked, that it was a sign of decline in Kirman wares, or perhaps, "these might have been made not at Kirman, but at an unidentified centre (perhaps Yezd) . . ." 5 . We shall return to Lane's suggestion further below, but should now discuss first the two cobaltblue painted sherds, namely the Museum piece 75.16 and DK.23. Sherds 75.16 in the Hopp Museum (figs. 2—3), is the fragment, of what must have been, a large plate. This shape is well-known, and several such complete plates are preserved in public and private collections. The decoration inside presents a typically Chinese vase with a lid, and a bouquet of flowers, which spreads out to the everted rim. Outside there are stylised floral motives (fig. 3), alternately in wider and narrower compartments. A plate of this type, but with different design, is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, attributed to Kirman and is dated to the 17th century.'' It is reasonable to give the provenance of the Hopp Museum piece to the same centre and date it to the same century. As Lane remarked, it was one of the characteristics of late Kirman blue and white wares to paint the outlines in darker blue. 7 Lane's above thesis was further corroborated by the author's own archaeological work in Kirman Province, when he some 70 km due south of Kirman. During the third season of excavations at Ghubayra, the author excavated a small palace or meeting-hall (diwan in Persian and in Arabic), which was built during the 13th century. Attached to the southern side of this building, remains of a late Safavid structure were discovered. The small finds from this Safavid area consisted maintly of 108
