Plate

Plate made by Manises potters using the old Hispano-Islamic lustre technique. These types of products were highly prized in late medieval times, as luxury wares with a complicated manufacturing process that required more time and expertise than other kinds of pottery. They were exported to Europe, primarily via the Mediterranean, and their international fame and value is illustrated by the specimens that made their way to France, Italy or the Low Countries and have survived in palaces, collections or paintings from that period.
Such pieces reveal certain socio-cultural changes that took place in the Late Middle Ages, with the appearance of more stable courts, large families and a powerful middle class who were eager to fill their palaces and residences—which in many cases had ceased to be mere defensive strongholds—with these luxury wares, for the greater glory of the owners and their social status.