Vase
ca. 1575 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The design on this vase perfectly matches its form. Here tulips, carnations and other flowering plants seem to sway gently in a breeze, following the curved shape.
The white fritware body and brilliant underglaze colours are typical of ceramics made in Iznik. This small town in north-west Anatolia was a major centre of production and produced some of the most accomplished examples of Islamic pottery.
In the 16th century, when this piece was made, the wealth of the Ottoman rulers was reflected in sumptuous decorative arts. Their bold designs rarely included human or animal figures, preferring plant- and flower-based patterns, as here. This feature was deliberately designed to distinguish them from those produced in Iran at this time.
The white fritware body and brilliant underglaze colours are typical of ceramics made in Iznik. This small town in north-west Anatolia was a major centre of production and produced some of the most accomplished examples of Islamic pottery.
In the 16th century, when this piece was made, the wealth of the Ottoman rulers was reflected in sumptuous decorative arts. Their bold designs rarely included human or animal figures, preferring plant- and flower-based patterns, as here. This feature was deliberately designed to distinguish them from those produced in Iran at this time.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Fritware, polychrome underglaze painted, glazed |
| Brief description | Bulbous vase decorated with tulips and carnations, Turkey (probably Iznik), ca. 1575. |
| Physical description | Fritware vase, painted in underglaze colours, with flowers in red, blue and green. Narrow neck flaring at mouth leading to globular body, flaring foot. White ground painted with all over flowers in turquoise, red, cobalt blue and black. On body, tulips, carnations, other flowers growing from base leading to cobalt blue lobed motif around neck. Braided rope design of red and white around narrowest part of neck dividing design into upper and lower sections. Upper section on neck comprised of similar flowers. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Gallery label |
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| Historical context | Once relief red had been introduced to the Iznik palette in the 1550s, it was never absent. The Iznik style continued to develop and another new colour, emerald green, was used extensively from the 1570s. Soon after this, though, the level of patronage of the Iznik industry began to decline, and the quality of production drifted downwards. This splendid vase therefore shows the Iznik style at its peak, with realistic tulips, carnations and other flowers freely painted against a background of pure white. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The design on this vase perfectly matches its form. Here tulips, carnations and other flowering plants seem to sway gently in a breeze, following the curved shape. The white fritware body and brilliant underglaze colours are typical of ceramics made in Iznik. This small town in north-west Anatolia was a major centre of production and produced some of the most accomplished examples of Islamic pottery. In the 16th century, when this piece was made, the wealth of the Ottoman rulers was reflected in sumptuous decorative arts. Their bold designs rarely included human or animal figures, preferring plant- and flower-based patterns, as here. This feature was deliberately designed to distinguish them from those produced in Iran at this time. |
| Bibliographic reference | Nurhan Atasoy and Julian Raby, Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey (London: Alexandria Press, 1989), fig. 703. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 232-1876 |
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| Record created | December 3, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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