Tankard with double-register design of reciprocating teardrop motifs in red, white and blue; Turkey (probably Iznik), ca. 1585.

Fritware tankard with straight body, handle entending from lip to base with square-shape opening. Body white slip painted with lobed motifs in cobalt blue on a red background. Inside each appears a second similarly shaped motif in red and inside that a cobalt blue leaf shape. A single band of twisted rope design in white, blue and red occurs around the neck, while a plain undecorated band occurs around the mid-section of the vessel. The handle is white with cobalt blue marks scribbled randomly.

Salting Bequest

Abstract designs in Iznik wares are associated with the Murad III's reign. The most common type is the fish scale pattern. To supplement abstract motifs which they inherited from the first half of the 16th century, potters of Selim II and Murad III added innovations of their own, such as dividing the body into arcades which could be reciprocal or one-directional, exemplified on this tankard.

This mug was probably made in Iznik, in north-west Anatolia. By the 1530s, small sprays of tulips and other recognisable flowers were a common motif on Iznik ceramics. From the 1550s these were replaced by compositions on a larger scale, such as this design.

C.2027-1910