Persian-influenced Ceramics and Works of Art

Persia and China are great centres of art with strong traditions that influenced each other and provided fresh stimulus towards achieving new breakthroughs in technology and design in both places. One such influence was the supply of cobalt from Persia for underglaze-decorated blue-and-white porcelain in Yuan dynasty China, which significantly transformed the latter’s ceramics industry. A highlight of the show is a Ming dynasty Yongle period bowl painted on the interior with a central roundel of flowering lotus within three bands and with a Middle Eastern taste hexafoil floral mark on the base.