A Moorish Vase

A polychrome glazed vase with geometric decoration throughout

Antique Hispano-Moresque pottery, was first produced in the South of Spain when occupied by Moorish settlers.

Antique Hispano-Moresque pottery is glazed and painted tin, using a copper oxide (occasionally in the earlier pieces it was used in conjunction with silver oxide) and sometimes cobalt blue. At first, the centres of production were Malaga, Almeria, Murcia and Granada. After the Christian re-conquest of southern Spain, Valencia became the main centre for the production of antique Hispano-Moresque pottery.

The effects were various, from a pale yellow iridescence in early pieces, to a copperish iridescence in late work and mat colours as in this example. Early designs are typical Islamic: palm motifs, the tree of life and Arabic inscriptions. Later designs became a combination of Islamic and Italian Renaissance motifs and as in this piece, a rich geometry. The Arabic inscriptions indicate that, in the 15th century, the work was taken over by Christian craftsmen. The imitation of this type of pottery, in Italy, led to the development of Italian maiolica.