A shallow bowl covered in bold metallic lustre reveals the impact of Near Eastern art on the work of William de Morgan, a leading British designer of the Arts and Crafts movement. De Morgan admired both ancient Islamic ceramics and Hispano-Moresque pottery made in Muslim Spain from the 6th through the 15th century. Before founding his own pottery in 1872, de Morgan designed handmade tiles, stained glass, and furniture for Morris & Company, London. By 1888, the firm had moved to Sands End, a working-class neighborhood in suburban London. The design for this bowl is owned by the Victoria and Albert Museum, where de Morgan studied the antique ceramics that inspired his own work. Both he and his decorator, the talented Charles Passenger, initialed the bowl.