Deep basin

Spain (Manises, Valencia)

after 1450

Glazed ceramic, lustre

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A circular, shallow ceramic basin with intricate golden lusterware patterns and a central shield motif. The basin has a wide, decorated rim and a dark background. This deep, round basin with dense, curvilinear decoration was made in the thriving ceramic center of Manises in the Valencia region of Spain. There, the master potters were Mudéjars, Muslim residents who remained in the Iberian Peninsula (present-day Spain and Portugal) after the collapse of the Umayyad dynasty (756-1031 CE) and retained a monopoly on the complex lustreware ceramic technique. Their wares were sought after by noble and royal houses throughout Europe, evidenced by this commission, with the coat of arms symbolizing the union of the Catholic Kingdoms of Aragon and Sicily. Gallery G243 The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnbl