A masterpiece of Central Asian ceramic art, made famous in the small town of Rishtan, in the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan. Believed to have been developed in the 14th century on the orders of Timur to imitate the blue-and-white Chinese cobalt porcelain, the potters of Rishtan found the local Fergana clay a wonderful replacement for Chinese kaolin. They also discovered the secret dye ishkor which gives Rishtan pottery its brilliant blue-green glaze, said to bring alive the colours of the earth and sky.
This platter is the creation of Rustam Usmanov, an usta (master craftsman) and one of the most celebrated innovators of Rishtan ceramics in the world today. His works reflect traditional nature-inspired ornamentation. Here, the stylised almond takes centrestage. Notice the brilliant intensity of the turquoise-blue.
