Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Lustreware

While I was nattering on over the glories of della Robbia terracotta glazes last week, unbeknownst to me my Archaeological colleague, Kris Hirst, was putting together a marvelous new feature on Islamic lustreware. Lustreware, if you haven't had the pleasure of meeting it, is a ceramic firing process, begun in the 8th century AD, that makes ordinary glazing look as easy as rolling off a log. It involves copper, silver and lead, a mixture that merits lustreware's traditional reputation as 'alchemy' (and also has probably lethally poisoned more than a few kiln attendants over the centuries).

Lustreware is gorgeous and worthy of any art-historic fan's attention. And Kris, whose excellent work I read regularly for scientific background, has got a trio of treats for anyone who would like to further investigate this decorative process. Enjoy!

Lustreware on About.com Archaeology

• Basic facts on and links for lustreware
• Photo Essay: Islamic Lustreware: Origins and Techniques
• Lustreware: Timeline and History