LAJVARD WARE

also called Lajvardina Ware, type of vase from Kashan, Iran, mentioned in Abu al-Qasim's treatise on ceramics (1301). Vases were executed in simple red, white, black, and gold leaf designs on a turquoise or dark blue matte glaze. The designs were almost exclusively abstract and floral. Lajvard (Persian: lapis lazuli, referring to the blue glaze used) may date from the late 12th century; output increased about the mid-14th century.