Tomb figure of a dog, Northern China

Tomb figure of a dog, Northern China, Eastern Han dynasty (AD 25–220). Museum no. C.167-1914

Tomb figure of a dog
Northern China
Eastern Han dynasty (AD 25-220)
Lead-glazed earthenware
Museum no. C.167-1914

In China, animal figures were interred with the dead in their tombs. The figures, made from loess, were fired at relatively low temperatures. High levels of lead were added to the green glaze so that it would melt at these low temperatures. Similar high-lead glazes were used in the Roman empire at this time, but it is not known whether there is a link.

Vessel with two spouts, Peru

Vessel with two spouts, Peru, Nasca culture, AD 100–400. Museum no. C.15-1941

Vessel with two spouts
Peru, Nasca culture
AD 100-400
Unglazed earthenware, painted and burnished before firing
Museum no. C.15-1941
Given by Lady Steel-Maitland

The Nasca potters of Peru produced some of the finest ceramics made in the Americas before 1500. This piece was formed by coiling and hand-modelling. The decoration in coloured slips depicts the killer whale of Nasca myth, which embodied the power of the ocean.

The two spouts may reflect the dualist aspect of Nasca beliefs. But a second opening was also needed to allow the passage of air in pouring.

Bowl with blue decoration, Iraq

Bowl with blue decoration, Iraq, probably Basra, 800–900. Museum no. Circ.175–1926

Bowl with blue decoration
Iraq, probably Basra
800-900
Tin-glazed earthenware, with decoration painted into the glaze. Restored from excavated fragments.
Museum no. Circ.175-1926

After 750, a direct sea route linked Iraq with China, and fine Chinese ceramics were imported for the first time. Wishing to imitate Chinese whitewares, Iraqi potters invented an opaque, white tin glaze to mask their darker earthenware. This technique later spread across the Middle East to Europe, remaining in use for centuries.

By adding decoration in cobalt blue, Iraqi potters created the world's first blue-and-white ceramics.

Pedestal stand, Korea

Pedestal stand, Korea, AD 400–600. Museum no. FE.58-1993

Pedestal stand
Korea
AD 400-600
Unglazed stoneware, with incised, raised and pierced decoration
Museum no. FE.58-1993

The potter's wheel and high-firing kilns were introduced to Korea about AD 300. They enabled potters to produce thin-bodied, complex ceramics in an astonishing variety of shapes.

Tall pedestal stands were found in enormous numbers in royal tombs around Kyongju, the capital of the state of Silla in the south-east. They seem to have been used in funerals, probably to support round-bottomed containers.

Black-glazed ewer, China

Black-glazed ewer, China, Deqing kilns, Eastern Jin dynasty (AD 317–420). Museum no. FE.9-1972

Black-glazed ewer
China, Deqing kilns
Eastern Jin dynasty (AD 317-420)
Glazed stoneware
Museum no. FE.9-1972

The potters in Deqing originally made fine green-glazed stoneware. After 300, they also began to use black and dark-brown glazes, probably inspired by black lacquer. These were the first in China's long tradition of dark-glazed ceramics.

The new colours were achieved by using an iron-rich clay for the glaze, or by adding iron to the glaze mixture already used for the green wares.

White stem cup, Northern China

White stem cup, Northern China, Tang dynasty, AD 600–700. Museum no. C.138-1965

White stem cup
Northern China
Tang dynasty, 600-700
Glazed stoneware
Museum no. C.138-1965
Mrs B.Z. Seligman Bequest

The whiteness of fired kaolin was used to full effect in ceramics of this type, which are the first high-fired whitewares ever made.
 
The cup has the brightness, thin walls and overall shape of a silver vessel. It may have been made for drinking red wine. Wine made from grapes was brought to China from western Asia, and its introduction reflects the open, cosmopolitan nature of Tang culture.

Tomb figure of a horse, Northern China

Tomb figure of a horse, Northern China, Tang dynasty, AD 700–800. Museum no. C.50-1964

Tomb figure of a horse
Northern China
Tang dynasty, 700-800
Earthenware, moulded in sections and assembled, details finished by hand, splashed with coloured (sancai) lead glazes.
Museum no. C.50-1964
Mrs Robert Solomon Gift

Large ceramic horses were placed in tombs from the time of the first emperor of united China, Qin Shihuangdi (died 210 BC). By the Tang period, the horses were shown with their saddle and trappings in place, ready for mounting.

The brown glaze running down the neck may relate to the 'blood-sweating' horses imported from the Ferghana valley, now in Uzbekistan.

Red bowl, Germany

Red bowl, Germany, Trier AD 150–200. Museum no. 1921-1901

Red bowl
Germany, Trier
AD 150-200
Unglazed earthenware, with moulded decoration and red slip
Museum no. 1921-1901

In the first century AD, earthenware finished with a glossy red slip became the tableware of choice all over the Roman empire. It was easier to produce than earlier Greek 'black' and 'red figure' wares, and large quantities were made in many places with access to the right clays.

Relief decoration was standard. Here gladiators in combat alternate with a man presenting an emperor with a palm.

Lustre bowl with peacock, Iraq

Lustre bowl with peacock, Iraq, probably, Basra, 900–1000. Museum no. C.1309-1924

Lustre bowl with peacock
Iraq, probably Basra
900-1000
Tin-glazed earthenware, with lustre painted over the glazes
Museum no. C.1309-1924
Given by Monsieur Georges Tabbagh

The potters of Iraq invented the lustre technique. By using metallic pigments to decorate their whitewares, they were able to imitate precious metal vessels. The dotted background, for example, copies the ring-matted texturing on gold and silver.

Like the tin-glaze technique, lustre spread across the Middle East to Europe, where Spain became an important centre of production.