Tankard

Clay: buff colored, soft.
Glaze: thin, transparent.
Decoration: polychrome design of sailing dhows, castles on rocks, birds, etc.

Historical period(s)
Ottoman period, late 16th century
Medium
Stone-paste painted under glaze
Style
Iznik ware
Dimensions
H x W x D (overall): 21.1 x 16.4 x 12.3 cm (8 5/16 x 6 7/16 x 4 13/16 in)
Geography
Turkey, Iznik
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1968.68
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic
Type

Tankard

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

To 1968
C. Dikran Kelekian, New York to 1968 [1]

From 1968
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from C. Dikran Kelekian in 1968 [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

Clay: buff colored, soft.
Glaze: thin, transparent.
Decoration: polychrome design of sailing dhows, castles on rocks, birds, etc.

Label

In addition to floral, vegetal, and geometric designs, the decoration of Turkish ceramic wares from the city of Iznik occasionally features maritime imagery.  The boats on this drinking vessel sail past islands accentuated by small castles, large birds, and pairs of cypress trees.  Similar imagery appears in sixteenth century Turkish manuscript  illustration, revealing the close connection between the arts during the Ottoman period.

Published References
  • Oriental Ceramics: The World's Great Collections. 12 vols., Tokyo. vol. 10, pl. 97.
  • Robert J. Charleston. Islamic Pottery. Masterpieces of Western and Near Eastern Ceramics, vol. 4 Tokyo and New York. pl. 109.
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Turkish Art of the Ottoman Period. Exh. cat. Washington. cat. 20, p. 26.
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Ceramics from the World of Islam. Exh. cat. Washington, 1973. cat. 86, pp. 186-187.
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Ottoman Art at the Freer Gallery of Art. no. 4 Istanbul, 1970-1971. p. 196, pl. 19.
  • Nurhan Atasoy, Dr. Julian Raby. Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey. Istanbul and London. pp. 253, 258, fig. 529.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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