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Table

ca. 1560 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This type of wooden table with a ceramic tile top held trays of food and drink. It would have used in an Ottoman palace, set before guests who sat on a low bench, or divan, built against the walls.

Many large polygonal tiles survive from the Ottoman period, but this example is one of the very few that still serves its original purpose as a table top. It was made in Iznik, north-west Anatolia, which was known as a centre of ceramic production.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Wood, inlaid with ebony and mother of pearl; with fritware ceramic top, painted under the glaze
Brief description
Table made of wood faced with ebony, ivory and mother-of-pearl, the table top a twelve-sided Iznik tile, Turkey (Iznik and Istanbul), ca. 1560.
Physical description
Body of the table: wood inlaid with ebony and mother of pearl; the top: fritware ceramic painted under the glaze. The tile has twelve sides, but the table is constructed with spandrel-like joins between the legs so that it stands on six legs.
Dimensions
  • Height: 48cm
  • Diameter: 63cm
Styles
Gallery label
(2006)
Jameel Gallery

Tile-top Table
Turkey, Iznik and Istanbul
About 1560

In Ottoman palaces, guests sat on a low bench, or divan, built against the wall. Trays of food and drink were set before them, resting on tables of this type.

Wood faced with ebony, with inlay of ivory and mother-of-pearl; fritware painted under the glaze
Museum no. C.19-1987
Summary
This type of wooden table with a ceramic tile top held trays of food and drink. It would have used in an Ottoman palace, set before guests who sat on a low bench, or divan, built against the walls.

Many large polygonal tiles survive from the Ottoman period, but this example is one of the very few that still serves its original purpose as a table top. It was made in Iznik, north-west Anatolia, which was known as a centre of ceramic production.
Bibliographic references
  • Tim Stanley (ed.), with Mariam Rosser-Owen and Stephen Vernoit, Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Middle East, London, V&A Publications, 2004 p.103
  • Baker, Malcolm, and Brenda Richardson (eds.), A Grand Design: The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London: V&A Publications, 1999.
Collection
Accession number
C.19-1987

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Record createdSeptember 28, 1998
Record URL
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