Ewer
ca. 1580 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This Iznikware jug is of buff-coloured earthenware with a tin-glazed surface decorated with stylised tulips and leaves. Iznik, in Turkey, was famous for its ceramics, made for the Ottoman court but also exported throughout Europe via Cairo, Budapest and Belgrade. Early Iznikware copied the prestigious blue and white Chinese porcelain but in the 16th century Iznik potters developed a new range of colours, including the characteristic bright red glaze that can be seen on this pot.
Ownership & Use
Drinking pots like this one were used for ale or beer in the 16th century. In 1558, the French visitor Etienne Perlin remarked that the English drank their beer 'not out of glasses but from earthen pots with silver handles and covers & this even in houses of persons of middling fortune'. This jug is similar in shape to the German stoneware pots which were popular at the time and also sometimes fitted with silver or silver-gilt mounts in England.
Social Class
Pots or jugs were generally less valued than tall covered cups but the high quality of the silver-gilt mounts and the expensive imported ceramic body show that this was made for a discerning consumer. The majority of mounted pots were made of stoneware or inexpensive ceramics. Iznikware seems to have been rare and used only by the upper classes.
This Iznikware jug is of buff-coloured earthenware with a tin-glazed surface decorated with stylised tulips and leaves. Iznik, in Turkey, was famous for its ceramics, made for the Ottoman court but also exported throughout Europe via Cairo, Budapest and Belgrade. Early Iznikware copied the prestigious blue and white Chinese porcelain but in the 16th century Iznik potters developed a new range of colours, including the characteristic bright red glaze that can be seen on this pot.
Ownership & Use
Drinking pots like this one were used for ale or beer in the 16th century. In 1558, the French visitor Etienne Perlin remarked that the English drank their beer 'not out of glasses but from earthen pots with silver handles and covers & this even in houses of persons of middling fortune'. This jug is similar in shape to the German stoneware pots which were popular at the time and also sometimes fitted with silver or silver-gilt mounts in England.
Social Class
Pots or jugs were generally less valued than tall covered cups but the high quality of the silver-gilt mounts and the expensive imported ceramic body show that this was made for a discerning consumer. The majority of mounted pots were made of stoneware or inexpensive ceramics. Iznikware seems to have been rare and used only by the upper classes.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Fritware, polychrome underglaze painted, glazed; later silver-gilt mounts |
| Brief description | Iznik Jug |
| Physical description | Pot, Iznikware |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label | British Galleries:
LUXURY IMPORTED MATERIALS Aristocrats and wealthy merchants used decorative and expensive tableware to demonstrate their wealth and social status to guests. Splendid rarities, such as the pieces here, created lavish settings for a dessert of wine and sweetmeats. The weight and high quality of the silver mounts indicated the prestige associated with imported Chinese porcelain and other exotic materials.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Acquired with Art Fund support |
| Object history | Jug made in Iznik, Turkey; mounts probably English |
| Summary | Object Type This Iznikware jug is of buff-coloured earthenware with a tin-glazed surface decorated with stylised tulips and leaves. Iznik, in Turkey, was famous for its ceramics, made for the Ottoman court but also exported throughout Europe via Cairo, Budapest and Belgrade. Early Iznikware copied the prestigious blue and white Chinese porcelain but in the 16th century Iznik potters developed a new range of colours, including the characteristic bright red glaze that can be seen on this pot. Ownership & Use Drinking pots like this one were used for ale or beer in the 16th century. In 1558, the French visitor Etienne Perlin remarked that the English drank their beer 'not out of glasses but from earthen pots with silver handles and covers & this even in houses of persons of middling fortune'. This jug is similar in shape to the German stoneware pots which were popular at the time and also sometimes fitted with silver or silver-gilt mounts in England. Social Class Pots or jugs were generally less valued than tall covered cups but the high quality of the silver-gilt mounts and the expensive imported ceramic body show that this was made for a discerning consumer. The majority of mounted pots were made of stoneware or inexpensive ceramics. Iznikware seems to have been rare and used only by the upper classes. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1561-1904 |
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| Record created | May 6, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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