Lustre bowl with depiction of a bird

Under the Abbasids, an entirely new style of art was developed that set the pattern for the entire empire. The study of Samarra has contributed greatly to an understanding of this development, for no vestiges of the Abbasid period have survived in Baghdad itself. Ceramic production experienced a virtual rebirth, utilising new decorative techniques such as lustre glazing. An important impetus behind these innovations were the Chinese wares that now found their way to the Near East.