A stunning kashan jug with rounded ribbed body and cylindrical neck standing on a small unglazed foot, covered with a turquoise glaze. The body presents a fine moulded decoration, which embellishes the surface of the jug.

The material of which this dish is made is also very distinctive and special. Indeed, fritware or siliceous ware is made of finely ground quartz (obtained from grinding pebbles or sand), which is then mixed with small amounts of liquefied glass (glass frit or glass fragments) and refined clay, in order to obtain a very clear paste. Manufacture of stonepaste in the eleventh century began very similarly in Syria and Iran but in the twelfth century, stonepaste production expanded significantly, as witnessed by a substantial increase in production centres. This new type of material also promoted advances in established techniques as well as the development of new ones, such as turquoise glazing, of which the present piece is a stunning example, and underglaze painting.
The town of Kashan, as a city associated with high-quality ceramic production in the medieval period, became a distinct point of scholarly attention in the twentieth century. It appears to have been a major site for the manufacture of fine wares between the 1170s and 1220s as well as in the later 13th and early 14th centuries.