Panel of 80 tiles depicting niches with vases of flowers, Turkey (probably Iznik), 1600-1700.

Panel of 80 fritware tiles, underglaze-painted with a row of niches containing vases of flowers.

The first stage in the emergence of Iznik occurred in the reign of Sultan Mehmed II (1451-81 ). Once created, the Iznik fritware industry seems to have taken on a life of its own, reacting to ups and downs in court demand by producing wares for wider market. In the early sixteen century, 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. The addition of red to the colour range was accompanied by the appearance of tile revetments made of Iznik fritware. Once the initial investment in the production of Iznik tilework had been made, it rapidly became a feature of architectural decoration in both religious buildings and places.
In the seventeenth century, the Kilns at Iznik did not receive the same level of investment from the court, and the quality of production drifted downwards. By the beginning of the eighteenth century the ceramics industry in Iznik was in a state of collapse, and when the court again began to take an interest in tile production in the reign of Sultan Ahmed III (1703-30 ), it had to reinvent the industry, which was relocated to Istanbul. The result was that Ottoman grandees were again able to decorate their places with tilework ensembles, including whole chimney pieces.

Similar tiles were used in the Mosque of Ibrahim Aga in Cairo (rebuilt in 1652); see Prisse d'Avennes, L'art arabe, 1877, pll. 119, 120, 122.

In the 1550s potters at the kilns in Iznik, north-west Turkey, began to produce tiles with the decoration painted under the glaze. These tiles were used in panels, which were a popular form of decoration on the walls of palaces and mosques. This panel has a row of niches containing vases of flowers. Here they are arranged symmetrically so that they fill all the available space.

70: 1 to 80-1898