Persian Haft Rang Glazed Pottery

Timeline

1. 1171–1174Kashan kilns · IranPotters formed bodies from white clay, applied a transparent glaze, and painted outlines and main motifs in cobalt blue, firing at high temperature for the first time; this stage inherited the Seljuk-period Ray–Kashan underglaze painting tradition, laying the foundation for subsequent polychrome overglaze decoration.
2. c. 1175–1178Central Persia (Kashan–Ray) · IranAround 1175, craftsmen filled in red, green, purple, black, and other colors with enamel-like pigments on the already-fired glaze surface, and painted details with gold leaf, then fired again at low temperature; court banquets, mounted archery, and Shahnameh subjects appeared on plates, bowls, and tiles, forming the distinctive mina'i style.
3. 1178–1180Isfahan–Baghdad trade sphere · West AsiaFine mina'i wares circulated as court gifts and diplomatic presents, and were also sold to Syria and Anatolia via Mesopotamian trade routes; their polychrome overglaze technique influenced subsequent Islamic ceramics in Raqqa, Syria, and elsewhere, marking the shift of Persian ceramics from monochrome underglaze to polychrome overglaze decoration.