Iznik Polychrome Pottery Dish Decorated with White Prunus Blossoms and Leaves

Project Details

Iznik Polychrome Pottery Dish Decorated with White Prunus Blossoms and Leaves

Ottoman Empire

Second Half of the 16^th Century

Diameter: 30 cm.

Fritware, the white ground painted under a clear glaze in green, cobalt-blue, bole-red, black, the interior is decorated with juxtaposed white prunus blossoms and green leaves. The bold effect of the bright red ground is heightened by the potter’s decision to leave the cavetto blank, providing breathing room and balance for the composition.

The first example of blossoming prunus reserved in white against a red background occurs in the Selimiye mosque in Edirne (1572). For further information about the prunus blossom motif in Iznik ceramics please see, Nurhan Atasoy & Julian Raby. Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, Thames & Hudson, London, 1989, pp. 249-254. In Iznik ceramics, especially on dishes, the prunus blossom motif usually appears on prunus blossom trees. The present dish is a rare example in which the prunus blossoms are used as an individual, juxtaposed motif.

A comparable Iznik dish similarly decorated with prunus blossoms is in the Ömer M. Koç collection. Please see, Hülya Bilgi, Ateşin Oyunu – Sadberk Hanım Müzesi ve Ömer M. Koç Koleksiyonlarından İznik Çini ve Seramikleri, Vehbi Koç Vakfı, İstanbul, 2009, No. 252, p. 404.

The only other documented comparison known to us is an Iznik tankard, similarly decorated with juxtaposed white prunus blossoms and leaves, in the Benaki Museum, Athens. Please see, John Carswell, Mina Moraitou and Melanie Gibson, Iznik Ceramics at the Benaki Museum, Benaki Museum – Gingko, London, 2023, No. 58, p. 112.

Provenance

Private Dutch Collection.

Categories: Ceramics

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Iznik Polychrome Pottery Dish Decorated with White Prunus Blossoms and Leaves

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