  About the Artwork
  
  
  This ceramic basin shimmers as light hits it at different angles. Potters achieved this effect through a complex technique that requires two rounds in the kiln. First, they covered the rough earthenware body in a tin glaze and fired it to create a smooth, white surface. Next, they painted its intricate ivy leaf designs with metallic pigments known as luster, then fired it again to create a reflective surface resembling metal. 
Invented in Iraq in the 800s, luster techniques were brought to Manises, Spain, by Muslim artists who continued working as the region transitioned from Islamic to Christian rule in the 1200s. By the 1400s, Manises had become premier center for lusterware production. 
The basin, similar in shape to metal ones used in Egypt and Syria, was probably used for handwashing. Reflecting the intercultural practice of cleansing one’s hands before, during, and after meals, it shows how creativity and dining culture crossed geography and faith in the 1400s.
  
  
  Title
  Luster-Painted Basin
  
  
  Artwork Date
  c. 1480
  
  Artist
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  Life Dates
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  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  Spanish
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
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  Medium
  Tin-glazed earthenware with luster
  
  
  Dimensions
  5 × 19 inches (12.7 × 48.3 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Ceramics
  
  
  Department
  European Sculpture and Dec Arts
  
  
  Credit
  Founders Society Purchase, General Membership Fund
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  63.23
  
  
  Copyright
  Public Domain
