ca. 1560
Town Iznik,
Turkey
Turkey
Object qualities
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Objecttableware: Dish
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Type of arts & crafts
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MediumStonepaste; polychrome painted under transparent glaze
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SizeH. 2 3/4 in. (7 cm) Diam.12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm)
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Geography detailsMade in
Town Iznik,
Turkey -
Country today
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Dateca. 1560
Source of information
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Type of sourceDatabase “Metropolitan Museum of Art”
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Fund that the source refers toMetropolitan Museum of Art
Description
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As early as the fifteenth century, Ottoman potters sometimes made vessels with white decoration in reserve on a blue ground rather than the more familiar blue-on-white type. Here the decoration is an array of of flowers springing from a single source, in essence a Chinese motif, but almost completely reinterpreted by the Turkish potter. The combination of recognizable tulip and prunus blossoms with more exotic and fancifully decorated jumbo flowers as well as the refreshing asymmetrical composition give this dish a charm and subtlety lacking in more rigid floral designs.