PATERNA WARE

tin-glazed earthenware produced in the 14th and 15th centuries at Paterna, near Valencia, in eastern Spain. Although pottery was produced in Paterna as early as the 12th century under the Almohads, it was not famous until the reign of the Nasrids (12301492), the last Islamic dynasty of Spain. Like the works of the other great Hispano-Moresque pottery centres, Valencia, Manises, and Mlaga, the stylistic origins of Paterna ware may be traced ultimately to the Middle East. Paterna ware is somewhat plainer in style, however, than the lustreware (pottery painted with metallic pigments) produced by these other cities, but the decorative effects are highly refined. Representational and abstract designs are usually combined in a rather formal, geometric manner. In spite of occasional Gothic motifs, Paterna ware has a strong Oriental quality, particularly evident in its stylized representations of animal figures. Greens, blues, manganese violets, and browns are the favourite colours painted on a white background. The most common surviving forms of Paterna ware are large plates and bowls, examples of which may be seen in the Louvre, in Paris.