Ceramic dish with deer, phoenix, and lotus blossoms, 1300–1350, Iran, probably Sultanabad, Ilkhanid period (1256–1353). Fritware with underglaze-painted design, Sultanabad ware. Overall: 7 x 32.6 cm. Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1924.742 © The Cleveland Museum of Art

Fritware is made of ground quartz, glass frit (partially fused glass), and a small proportion of fine white clay to approximate the light color and weight of Chinese porcelain.

The design of a flying phoenix on the rim was frequently represented on vessels and tilework of this period. The motif was derived from China, most likely transmitted on prestigious silk textiles.