Zafa (bowl)

Nº inv.: D06/01406

This dish or bowl is painted a brownish-grey (manganese oxide) and covered in a honey-coloured glaze. This type of decoration with green and manganese on top of a white background (tin varnish: see previous piece) was widespread in Hispano-Muslim productions.

The honey colour is a natural shade obtained by covering pink or ochre clay with a lead glaze or a transparent lead glaze. This tone is achieved by adding iron oxide to a lead-based glaze, as in the case of this dish. This type of piece was more modest than those covered by a tin varnish (see Zafa del Cervatillo) as tin glaze was more expensive than lead.

On the inside there are very fine parallel lines and a small lily is painted in the centre while on the sides there are two triangles and two semi-circles starting from the edges.

This type of dish is a wide shape, usually between 20 and 25cm, and of low depth, between 5 and 10cm. It was discovered in excavations carried out in 1982 for the renovation of the Benetússer Church Square. It dates from the 11th century, a period known for the Taifa Kingdom.

On display in the Sala de ceramica hispanomusulmana (Hispano-Muslim Ceramics Room), second floor