Basin
- Place of origin:
Iznik, Turkey (probably, made)
- Date:
- Artist/Maker:
- Materials and Techniques:
Fritware, underglaze painted in blue, glazed
- Museum number:
- Gallery location:
Islamic Middle East, room 42, case 6W
- Download image
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.
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.
Place of Origin
Iznik, Turkey (probably, made)
Date
1510-1520 (made)
Artist/maker
Unknown (production)
Materials and Techniques
Fritware, underglaze painted in blue, glazed
Dimensions
Height: 24.3 cm, Diameter: 45.3 cm, Diameter: 18 cm of foot
Descriptive line
Blue-and-white basin, Turkey (probably Iznik), 1510-1520.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
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.
Labels and date
BASIN
White earthenware painted in blue.
TURKISH (ISNIK); about 1475-1500.
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 [Jameel Gallery]
Production Note
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.
Materials
Fritware
Techniques
Underglazing
Subjects depicted
Vine leaves; Lotus blossom; Stylised leaves; Knots (motifs)
Categories
Ceramics
Collection code
MES
