The transition from lead transparent to tin-opacified glaze productions in the western Islamic lands: al-Andalus, c. 875–929 CE

Abstract

The earliest glazed ware in al-Andalus is dated to the Emiral period (c. AD 850-875) and is not until the Caliphate of Córdoba (AD 929-1031) that a distinctive polychrome tin glaze started being produced. A short transition period (c. AD 875-925) in which elaborate monochrome and bichrome transparent glazes wares coexist with polychrome transparent and tin opaque glazed wares has been identified. The existence of a polychrome lead transparent glaze production in al-Andalus wares is demonstrated; it has distinctive composition and methods of production from monochrome and bichrome wares, and shares a distinctive absence of foot and overglaze application of the decorations with the tin-opacified wares. With regard to the possible routes of the introduction of the polychrome lead and tin glazes into the western Mediterranean the Tunisian connection seems completely discarded. Moreover, and although some similarities between the Cordoba and the Abbasid productions such as similar tin glaze recipe and decorative patterns and use of lead glazes, can be traced, the dissimilarities, such as, the use of overglaze decorations, absence of alkali transparent glazes, variances in the tableware shapes and absence of foot, are still more important, and do not support a clear link between them.

Ex novo development of lead glassmaking in early Umayyad Spain

“…( B ) Elements associated with the silica (Al, Fe) and lead component (Ag, Ba, Bi) reflect different raw materials. Data sources: smoothers, ( 29 ); Iberian soda ash lead glasses, ( 14 , 27 , 33 ); central European potash lead glasses, ( 31 , 34 – 37 ); Islamic lead silica glasses, ( 38 ); ceramic glazes from Cordoba, ( 39 ).…”

“…To date, no other glass finds with comparable characteristics have been identified in the Iberian Peninsula, the wider Islamic world, or central Europe; however, the lead glass from Šaqunda shares compositional features with monochrome and bichrome lead glazes from Cordoba dating to the second half of the ninth century ( 39 ). In fact, archaeological remains from Pechina (Almería), the earliest glazed-ware workshop in al-Andalus dating to the second half of the ninth century, revealed the use of prefused ground lead glass as the glazing mixture that was applied to the ceramic surface to obtain a transparent lead glaze ( 40 ).…”

“…This may explain why the production of this type of slag glass was short-lived. No other glass objects of the same composition have been identified elsewhere, with the exception of lead glazes from the Emiral period (c. 850 to 875 CE) ( 39 , 40 ). Our results from Šaqunda thus show that the innovations in glassmaking predate the introduction of translucent lead-glazed ceramics in Iberia in the second half of the ninth century ( 39 – 41 , 56 ) by more than half a century.…”

Ceramics in transition: ceramics from the first Islamic period in the western Mediterranean – the example of al-Andalus

“…If the eighth century represents the mix and evolution of two cultural traditions, the ninth century is, on the other hand, the moment for cultural homogenization. In this century, the shapes of Visigothic tradition dissolve and integrate in sets that are increasingly Islamized from a social point of view; this is the period when glazing is introduced, which is the final element of the process of change of the productive system (Amorós Ruiz 2018, 371–73; Gutiérrez Lloret 2015, 84; Salinas Plaguezuelo and Montilla Torres 2018, 433; Serrano Herrero et al 2016, 309). The case of El Tolmo de Minateda is a paradigmatic example (Amorós Ruiz 2018).…”

Mercado, redes comerciales, poder y producción cerámica en el sureste de la Península Ibérica durante la Edad Media. Una visión panorámica

“…Los análisis arqueométricos, sin embargo, no han permitido aclarar de manera definitiva el origen de esta técnica. La conexión tunecina parece estar descartada, mientras que la procedencia oriental no ha podido ser de momento confirmada (Salinas y Pradell, 2018b).…”