Plate

Pomegranates and hyacinths in light blue, purple and white on dark blue ground, on the inside; and of 2 tulips alternating with a zinnia in light and dark blue on white ground on outside wall. Small area along the upper right edge lost and replaced by painted plaster, nicks along edge; two holes in ringfoot for suspension.

Historical period(s)
Ottoman period, 1530s
Medium
Stone-paste painted under glaze
Style
Iznik ware
Dimensions
H x Diam: 5.8 x 31.4 cm (2 5/16 x 12 3/8 in)
Geography
Turkey, Iznik
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1963.7
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Dish

Keywords
flower, Iznik ware, Ottoman period (1307 - 1922), Turkey
Provenance

To 1963
C. Dikran Kelekian, New York to 1963 [1]

From 1963
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from C. Dikran Kelekian in 1963 [2]

Notes:

[1] See Freer Gallery or Art Purchase List after 1920, Collections Management Office.

[2] See note 1.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

C. Dikran Kelekian 1900-1982

Description

Pomegranates and hyacinths in light blue, purple and white on dark blue ground, on the inside; and of 2 tulips alternating with a zinnia in light and dark blue on white ground on outside wall. Small area along the upper right edge lost and replaced by painted plaster, nicks along edge; two holes in ringfoot for suspension.

Label

This plate is representative of one type of underglaze-painted ceramic produced in Iznik during the sixteenth century. The earliest type was blue-and-white ware decorated in the center with floral scrolls and on the rim with wave and foam patterns. Such motifs emulate designs on Chinese porcelains, which had become extremely popular at the Ottoman court. By mid-century, the palette of Iznik ceramics had expanded to include turquoise, green, purple, and a unique tomato red. The decorative repertoire also grew, and recognizable species of flora and fauna were commonly depicted.

Published References
  • Oriental Ceramics: The World's Great Collections. 12 vols., Tokyo. vol. 10, pl. 316.
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Turkish Art of the Ottoman Period. Exh. cat. Washington. cat. 15, p. 25.
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Ceramics from the World of Islam. Exh. cat. Washington, 1973. cat. 82, pp. 178-179.
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Ottoman Art at the Freer Gallery of Art. no. 4 Istanbul, 1970-1971. p. 195, pl. 14.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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