Emergence, Evolution and Abolition of Lajvardina pottery

Although Iranian pottery has attracted the attention of art researchers and many studies have been conducted in this area, there is still the need for research in this regard. Islamic art scholars divide Iranian pottery into different categories according to historical periods, production centers or methods. Lajvardina is one of the most noticeable decorative styles in the Iranian pottery about which no comprehensive study has been carried out yet. These earthenware products have unique physical and technical characteristics thanks to the Iranians' great experiences in pottery making. The most notable feature of decoration in lajvardina is the use of a gold sheet and a background with the lajvard (lapis lazuli blue), turquoise or white glaze, painted in red, black and white. In most cases, the original patterns were gilded and their edges were painted in red. The gilded decorations in the Iranian pottery through the use of gold glaze or sheet were common during the Seljuk period, and lajvardina is not distinct from the other products of its own age in terms of its glaze and body formulation. The combination of these elements is among the visual features of lajvardina, with no history in Iranian art before this era. The present developmental research, whose data have been collected using library documents and resources, used the historical analysis method to determine the causes of the emergence, evolution and abolition of lajvardina in Iran and other countries. The results suggested that lajvardina life in Iranian pottery is limited to the late seventh century until the late eighth century. The construction of the single-colored lajvard and the combination of the technical features of Mina'i and some Iranian pottery traditions led to lajvardina. Eventually, lajvardina replaced Mina'i completely at the end of the seventh century. What makes it distinct from the other pottery decoration methods used in Iran is its use of distinctive color ranges, geometric patterns, and lajvardina gilding. Soltaniyeh, Hasanlu, Neyshapour, and Siraf Port are among the regions where lajvardina was discovered. However, the greatest Iranian lajvardina works were obtained from Abaqa Khan's Palace located in Takht-e Soleyman. These discoveries are not limited to Ilkhanate Iran; a few remains of these earthenware products have been found in Jordan, Egypt and Italy as well. Archaeologists' findings are indicative of lajvardina common use in Golden Horde regions, remarkable in terms of number, diversity and geographic distribution. The trade relations between Italian and Egyptian businessmen and the residents of Golden Horde justify the discovery of lajvardina remains in Italy, Egypt and Jordan. Since there has been no evidence of the construction of these works in areas outside the boundaries of Ilkhanate Iran, the lajvardina under question cannot definitely be considered to be local products. The decline of the Ilkhanate decreased the lajvardina production, the last major use of which was shown in Samarkand, dating back to the late eighth century AH. The production of lajvardina pottery in the late eighth century became an old technique.