Basin thumbnail 1
Basin thumbnail 2

Basin

1510-1520 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The knotwork motifs on the inside of this bowl are characteristic of a large group of blue-and-white wares. They come from Iznik, north-west Anatolia, and are thought to have been made in a workshop run by a 'Master of the Knots'.

The colours of the decoration help to date this piece. White on a blue ground had been the main colour scheme since production started in Iznik around 1470. In the 1520s Iznik potters stopped using white on a blue ground and blue decoration on a white ground took its place. This shift to decoration in blue on a white ground can be seen on the outside of this basin. Here, the line-like scrolls carry enormous blossoms with imaginary forms. At the same time, potters expanded the range of colours to include turquoise. Later black, sage-green and purple were introduced.

Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Fritware, underglaze painted in blue, glazed
Brief description
Blue-and-white basin, Turkey (probably Iznik), 1510-1520.
Physical description
Large footed basin in fritware. Decorated on interior and exterior in underglaze blue and white. The exterior of the bowl is decorated with large stylised lotus blossoms connected by a delicate floral vine, in blue on a white ground. The foot is decorated with a series of concentric bands, beginning with two blue lines delineating the foot from the bowl. The base of the foot has one band with small white flowers on a blue ground, and one with an abstract undulating line pattern. The bowl has a white rim. The interior is decorated with a pattern of floral vines and pointed leaves, in white on blue. This pattern is interrupted by a contrasting section of white ground, decorated with blue knots and outlined with a strong blue line. A circle at the base of the inside of the bowl has a pattern of stylised leaves with sweeping stems.
Dimensions
  • Height: 24.3cm
  • Diameter: 45.3cm
  • Of foot diameter: 18cm
Styles
Gallery label
(Jameel Gallery)
Jameel Gallery

Blue-and-White Basin
Turkey, probably Iznik
1510-20

The shift to decoration in blue on a white ground can be seen on the outside of this basin. The line-like scrolls bear enormous blossoms with imaginary forms. The knotwork motifs on the inside are characteristic of a large group of blue-and-white Iznik wares.

Fritware painted under the glaze

Museum no. 7409-1860
BASIN
White earthenware painted in blue.
TURKISH (IZNIK); about 1475-1500.
Production
Attribution note: Fritware is a ceramic whose body consists of silica - sand or quartz - mixed with a small amount of white clay and bonded with frit - ground glass.
Subjects depicted
Summary
The knotwork motifs on the inside of this bowl are characteristic of a large group of blue-and-white wares. They come from Iznik, north-west Anatolia, and are thought to have been made in a workshop run by a 'Master of the Knots'.

The colours of the decoration help to date this piece. White on a blue ground had been the main colour scheme since production started in Iznik around 1470. In the 1520s Iznik potters stopped using white on a blue ground and blue decoration on a white ground took its place. This shift to decoration in blue on a white ground can be seen on the outside of this basin. Here, the line-like scrolls carry enormous blossoms with imaginary forms. At the same time, potters expanded the range of colours to include turquoise. Later black, sage-green and purple were introduced.
Bibliographic reference
Atasoy, Nurhan and Raby, Julian. Iznik. The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey. London: Alexandria Press, 1989. p.98, ill. 112. Rogers, J. M. Islamic Art and Design 1500-1700 London: British Museum Publications, 1983. p. 108.
Collection
Accession number
7409-1860

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Record createdJune 24, 2003
Record URL
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