Staffordshire, England
Earthenware, transfer-printed
Marked ‘Copeland, late Spode’
A beautiful earthenware dish Arabic inscriptions made for the Islamic markets. The inscription in the Center translates as ‘Allah the one, there is no partner to Him/ Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah/ Indeed you are the Conqueror.’ The top and bottom inscriptions on the outer border translate as ‘There is no God but Allah.’ The names of the four Caliphs, Abubaker, Umar, Usman and Ali also appear on the outer border in vignettes among foliate swirls.
Manufacturers and retailers in Britain, looking to expand their markets to the British empire and beyond, started production of plates with inscriptions in Arabic taken from the Qur’an. These plates sometimes found in Indonesia and India were made for sale in countries with a significant Muslim population. An identical Copeland plate, but in blue is in the collection of the V&A, London.
Size (cms): 5.75(H) x 29.25(Diam)
Size (inches): 2.5(H) x 11.5(Diam)
