A General Look over the Characterisation of Lustre Glazes

Lustre is a kind of metal–glass composite made of glassy matrix in which metallic copper and/or silver nano–particles are embedded. The size of particles varies between 5–50 and form a layer of 100 nm–1 mm on body. The colours and brightness of the layers are due to the light absorption and dispersion by the layer itself. The pigments used do not exhibit metallic brightness never, instead they appear as iridescent spots. Lustre glazes, for the first time, were patterned glazes produced by Islamic ceramist in Samarra and Basra cities of Mesopotamia during Abbasid Dynasty in 9. century AC. Its preliminary samples belong to Fustat, the capital of Egypt of Fatimid Dynasty. After, they had been produced in Syria (12–15. century AC) and Iran (12–17. century AC). Each Era and region inhibit their original characteristics. Hereby, the historical journey and general knowledge about lustre are summarised