Typology of Kerman polychrome ceramics in the Safavid era

The history of Kerman pottery is as old and ancient as the history of this land; The productions of Kerman's pottery workshops have played a revitalizing and continuing role in Iran's cultural and artistic life, especially at a time when Iran is embroiled in political and historical damage. However, the brightest pottery season in Kerman is in the Safavid era; At this time, many species, especially blue and white pottery, have been produced on a large scale in the workshops of this city and the surrounding areas. One of the reasons why Kerman has been considered as a pottery center during the Safavid period is the geographical location of this city and its proximity to Bandar Abbas for the export of these works between china and the Europe. From within the blue and white species, new and creative varieties emerged in terms of decorations which are called Kerman polychrome ceramics. However, the exact location of its production is not definite in the vast Kerman province. Indeed, the multi-colored pottery of Kerman is a significant part of the history of Safavid painting. Kerman polychrome ware is often made with the underglaze painted technique in the frit body. Our goals in this study are Introducing Kerman's polychrome ceramics as well as the discovery of the distinctive and recognizable features of these paintings. To do this, we have collected many examples from the most popular museums in the world; And by the study and interpretation of forms and symbols and adapting it to the previous researches, we presented a new classification of this paintings. Methods of gathering data for this research is a combination of historical documents and some field evidence (library and field). We respond to a main question: What are the specific formal features in Kerman polychrome ceramics?  In these paintings, a range of floral, animal, human, written and geometric motifs and literary narratives have been combined with elements of Chinese paintings of the Ming and Yuan dynasties. The motifs of Dianthus flowers and ivy-like leaves are the hallmarks of Kerman's under-glazed paintings. The results of the research indicate that the Kerman's polychrome ceramics has evolved from the blue and white species with an innovative step-by-step approach. step one: Application of black color and its expand to the motifs and borders of the image; It should be noted that the use of black was due to the dominance of the azure color. Step 2: Painting with limited colors on monochrome and celadon bodies; In some cases, the motifs have been scratched. Step 3: Application of green, red and black colors in combination with blue and white. The design and brushstrokes of these works are different. In some works, Chinese and Iranian motifs are combined; two styles of drawing are so obvious that it was probably produced by two separate people. In other works, the painting is completely filled with Iranian motifs; These works, in addition to showing the background of ancient Iranian motifs, in some cases have focused on aspects of objectivity and natural landscapes of Kerman.