Pilgrim Flask
ca. 1750-1775 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This flask is one of the larger and more complex items produced in Kütahya in western Anatolia. The colour scheme is inherited from the palette used on Iznik ceramics and includes the distinctive red made with a liquid clay slip. But here the scheme has been expanded by the addition of yellow.
The town of Kütahya had a long tradition of making pottery. In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was overshadowed by Iznik, also in Anatolia. But in the 18th century, after the industry in Iznik collapsed, Kütahya became the main centre for fritware production in Turkey.
Fritware was also known as stone paste and quartz paste. It was developed by Middle Eastern potters as a response to the challenge posed by Chinese porcelain. Unlike high-fired Chinese porcelain, low-fired fritware was soft and porous, but like porcelain it was white all the way through and could be used to make convincing substitutes.
The town of Kütahya had a long tradition of making pottery. In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was overshadowed by Iznik, also in Anatolia. But in the 18th century, after the industry in Iznik collapsed, Kütahya became the main centre for fritware production in Turkey.
Fritware was also known as stone paste and quartz paste. It was developed by Middle Eastern potters as a response to the challenge posed by Chinese porcelain. Unlike high-fired Chinese porcelain, low-fired fritware was soft and porous, but like porcelain it was white all the way through and could be used to make convincing substitutes.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Fritware, polychrome underglaze painted, glazed |
| Brief description | Pilgrim flask, fritware, polychrome painted, Turkey (Kütahya), 1750-1775. |
| Physical description | Flask with round body, flattened sides and short neck; painted with polychrome floral decoration under a clear glaze. The painted decoration is on a white ground and framed by two concentric rings in relief on both sides of the body. At the centre is a rosette, the petals edged in blue, the six yellow stamens sprinkled with red dots. Encircling this is a border formed of white rosettes dotted with red and edged in blue, alternated with yellow single blossoms and small blue leaves or in one instance, a floral spray. The outer border is painted with floral sprays in blue, yellow and red. The neck is similarly decorated with yellow and blue blossoms, each contained between vertical blue lines topped by a chevron. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This flask is one of the larger and more complex items produced in Kütahya in western Anatolia. The colour scheme is inherited from the palette used on Iznik ceramics and includes the distinctive red made with a liquid clay slip. But here the scheme has been expanded by the addition of yellow. The town of Kütahya had a long tradition of making pottery. In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was overshadowed by Iznik, also in Anatolia. But in the 18th century, after the industry in Iznik collapsed, Kütahya became the main centre for fritware production in Turkey. Fritware was also known as stone paste and quartz paste. It was developed by Middle Eastern potters as a response to the challenge posed by Chinese porcelain. Unlike high-fired Chinese porcelain, low-fired fritware was soft and porous, but like porcelain it was white all the way through and could be used to make convincing substitutes. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 777-1892 |
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| Record created | November 28, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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