fritware

Fritware, also called fritware pottery or frit ware, is a class of ceramic body developed in the medieval Islamic world. It uses a paste made from finely ground quartz (silica) and clay, to which a frit—a glassy substance produced by melting silica with flux—is added. The frit, combined with the silica and clay, yields a white, smooth, fine-grained body that can be fired at relatively low temperatures.

Decoration is typically applied under glaze or on a tin-opacified glaze. The whiteness of the body allowed underglaze cobalt blue and later polychrome enamels to be used, and fritware wares were often produced with blue-and-white motifs or lustre decoration. The wares were frequently compared to porcelain for their pale background, and in some periods were used to imitate Chinese porcelain.

Origins and distribution: fritware appears in the 9th–10th centuries in the eastern Islamic world, especially in Mesopotamia and Iran, and was later produced in Egypt, Syria, and Iran's urban centers such as Kashan and Ray. It continued to be produced in the region through the medieval period, with regional varieties and specialized forms.

Composition and significance: fritware contrasts with tin-glazed faience in that the body itself contains frit and silica, producing a white surface without relying solely on glaze whiteness. It represents an important technological development in Islamic ceramics and a precursor to the later pursuit of true porcelain. Fritware wares were widely traded within the Islamic world and had a lasting influence on ceramic traditions in the region.