Turkish, Iznik
Plate, about 1650-1699
Polychrome underglaze painting on silceous earthenware, 25.8 x 25.7 x 4.5 cm (10 3/16 x 10 1/8 x 1 3/4 in.)
Earthenware white ground, circular Turkish plate with polychrome painted decorations. Dark red carnations, blue tulips, and smaller blue flowers, blossom from green and blue leaves in the center bottom. The center of the plate has a large dark red blossom.The rim has small circular blue flowers and small dark red buds. The back of the plate is rimmed with small painted blue and greenish flowers.
Short Gallery
Commentary
In the sixteenth century, the Ottoman Turkish ceramic workshops at Iznik produced large numbers of colorful pottery wares and wall tiles. They are famous for their bright red, black, blue, turquoise, and green glazed designs painted on flawless white grounds. The red carnations and blue tulips seen here were popular decorations.
This plate was made during the second half of the 17th century when quality from the Iznik ateliers was in decline due to mass-production and the lack of highly trained artisans.