 Ceramics lend themselves to circular motifs , whether radial or tangential . Bowls or plates can be decorated inside or out with radial stripes ; these may be partly figurative , representing stylised leaves or flower petals , while circular bands can run around a bowl or jug . Patterns of these types were employed on Islamic ceramics from the Ayyubid period , 13th century AD . <unk> symmetric flowers with , say , 6 petals lend themselves to increasingly stylised geometric designs which can combine geometric simplicity with recognisably naturalistic motifs , brightly coloured glazes , and a radial composition that ideally suits circular crockery . Potters often chose patterns suited to the shape of the vessel they were making . Thus an unglazed earthenware water flask from Aleppo in the shape of a vertical circle ( with handles and neck above ) is decorated with a ring of moulded braiding around an Arabic inscription with a small 8 @-@ petalled flower at the centre . 
