Bowl with phoenix motifs

After the incursions of Mongol ruler Genghis Khan in 1220 halted production in many of Iran’s key ceramic centers, a revival began in the 1260’s, under the auspices of the Ilkhanid dynasty (1256-1357), rulers of Mongolian origin who began to embrace many aspects of Persian culture. A new style emerged, known as Sultanabad wares, characterized by darker, denser combinations of colors and local foliage, along with motifs such as the phoenix, associated in China with longevity and renewal, and in Iran, with the legendary bird Simurgh, from the epic poem, the Shahnameh (Book of Kings). This fusion of imagery and cross-cultural exchange is one of the key aspects in the development of Islamic aesthetics.