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.
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 |
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Styles | |
Gallery label |
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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 created | June 24, 2003 |
Record URL |
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