The so-called ‘Ispik’ ceramics is one of the mysterious Dagestan crafts whose origin is still debated by art historians, archaeologists and ethnographers. The name ‘Ispik dishes’ was introduced into scientific use by Elsa Kilchevskaya, a researcher of the Dagestan material culture. It was she who first put forward the theory that this ceramics was made in the Lezgi village of Ispik. Kilcheskaya believed that the pottery trade in this area was revived by the inhabitants of the ruined village of Kala, which in the Middle Ages was famous for its painted turquoise ceramics.

However, this information was not confirmed. Up to this day, nobody knows for sure whether the ceramics were actually made in the area or not. Its production completely ceased in the 19th century.

Researchers agree on only one point: these dishes were purely decorative and had never been used in everyday life. That is why their colors are so bright. It is believed that the Ispik dishes served as talismans; they were hung above the entrance to the house to protect family members from evil eye.

The dish from the collection of the Dagestan Museum of Fine Arts is made of white clay. Its brim is richly decorated with the so-called palmettes (ornaments in the form of palm tree leaves) and images of animals and birds. In its ornament, horses prevail in combination with solar signs, symbols associated with the sun. The elements of the ornament are stamped. This technique was unknown in Dagestan, which, along with the fact that there were no white clays in the republic, again raises the issue of the dishes’ origin.