NAZARI ZAFA WITH BOAT
Christian Middle Ages
NAZARI ZAFA WITH BOAT
Gold pottery. Untreated exterior.
Maximum diameter: 24 cm. Base diameter: 8.7 cm. Height: 8 cm.
Hispano-Muslim. 14th century.
Origin
Calle Almendrillo 3. Jerez de la Frontera. Cádiz.
Description
Bowl or small zafa with truncated conical profile and high rim with untreated exterior surface, except on the lip. The interior depicts a ship on the white pewter covering. Although the gold is fairly worn, some of the item's features can nonetheless be seen clearly: a high, round hull, two masts with lateen sails inflated by the wind, whose ropes can be seen in the shape of lines, stern and oar rudder. A profusion of small spirals and volutes surround the central image. There are very few known examples of images of medieval boats. In this case, the boat is a coke merchant ship, a sailboat recorded in the Mediterranean in the Late Middle Ages. Gold earthenware ceramics reached its peak in the Nazari period. Malaga was one of the most important production centres, exporting luxury items in the second half of the 13th century and 14th century.
Bibliography
- Unknown
