This magnificent footed basin was produced at Iznik in north-west Turkey and has been dated to the late 1540s. It is an unusually large example of Iznik ware. The body is of white fritware, a compound material based on finely ground quartz powder made from sand or pebbles. This has been painted under the glaze with a pattern of tight concentric scrolls bearing tiny leaves and flowers, executed in greenish-black and set off with small ornamental devices in blue and turquoise. This type of decoration came to be known as the Golden Horn style when examples were excavated in Istanbul, close to the Golden Horn (the inlet of the sea to the north of the city). It was later realised that these wares were produced not in Istanbul but at Iznik.

The abilities of the Iznik potters in this period are exemplified by the extraordinarily large and sophisticated basins they produced. The scale and quality of these pieces, and the costs their production must have incurred, suggest that they were made for patrons at the highest level, although evidence for this is lacking. From about 1500, the range of colours employed in decorating Iznik wares increased, eventually encompassing shades of blue, turquoise, green and purple, all set off by a brilliant white ground. In the second half of the century, the colours increased in clarity, and their range expanded further to include a vibrant red: this was obtained by using a special clay, which was diluted and applied to the ceramic as a slip before glazing and firing.