; interlacing patterns;
striped and dotted bands; friezes of animals or birds amidst flowers and
foliage, inscriptions, &c.; all strongly and firmly drawn in black or
brown outlines and washed in with a very pure cobalt-blue or with
turquoise. In spite of the resemblance of these pieces to the oldest
Persian wares, we know that bowls, dishes, vases and spoilt pieces of
the same kind have been dug up on the site of Rakka near Aleppo; similar
ware has been found at Fostat, together with evidences of local
manufacture, and occasional pieces have been brought from Persia; so
that probably this distinguished ware was made at Rakka in Syria between
the 9th and the 13th centuries, and was afterwards made by Syrian
potters both in Persia and Egypt.

[Illustration: FIG. 39.--Persian Plate painted in blues only. (Victoria
and Albert Museum.)]

_Other Persian Wares_.--We have already spoken of the prevalent use of
coloured glazes in all the countries of the nearer East--from Egypt to
Persia--from remote times, either as the sole colour decoration or in
conjunction with modelled or painted ornament. The fragments from Rai
and Fostat include rich turquoise glazes (derived from the ancient
Egyptian), deep and light-green glazes containing lead and copper,
imitations of ancient Chinese celadon-green, a brownish-purple glaze, a
coffee-brown glaze and a deep cobalt-blue glaze.[10] All these may be
found either on plain vases, or on vessels with modelled ornament; or
covering delicate floral or arabesque patterns painted in white slip or
incised in the paste. Sometimes, even at this early period, there are
traces of applied gold-leaf attached, but not fired, to the glaze.

At a very early period, too, we find those beautiful bowls, dishes and
vases decorated with geometrical or arabesque patterns in a singularly
still underglaze black, and covered with the blue turquoise or green
copper glazes. This characteristic and beautiful ware is common to
Persia, Syria and Egypt in Saracen times, and it was soon prized in
Europe, as is shown by the famous fragment found by the late Mr Drury
Fortnum built into the outer walls of S. Cecilia in Pisa, where it was
apparently placed in the 12th century.[11]

At a later date a shining black glaze made its appearance, and in the
13th century pale and lapis-lazuli blues, while there is a comparatively
modern sage-green glaze found only on pieces bearing patterns modelled
in low relief.

_Persian Por