Author
Unknown
Publication Date
1520
Publication Place
Iznik (made) -
Subject
Arabesques Dragon
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
Height: 23.8cm, Including spout width: 15cm, Depth: 11cm
Library
Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID
349-1897
Record ID
349-1897
Library Location
Middle East Section
Date
1520
Notes
The design of this ewer marks an important turning-point in Iznik ceramics. In the 1520s potters at the town in north-west Anatolia stopped using white on a blue ground and replaced it with blue decoration on a white ground. They expanded the range of colours to include turquoise (seen here on the neck) and later introduced black, sage-green and purple. The small town of Iznik has given its name to some of the most accomplished ceramics produced in the Islamic Middle East. In the mid 15th century, potters there specialised in modest earthenware imitations of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain. But in the 1460s or 1470s, under the patronage of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, they began to manufacture bowls, dishes and other pieces of fritware. These were elegant in shape and decoration and often very large. A number of large basins survive which were probably made as sets with equally large ewers. However, none of the ewers has survived. This smaller ewer shows what they may have looked like. Its angular shape was based on a metal ewer and it has been repaired with metal mounts after it was damaged.
Malzemeler ve teknikler
Fritware, underglaze painted in cobalt blue, glazed; later silver mounts Fritware Silver Underglazing
Fiziksel açıklama
Blue and white rectangular ewer with arabesque designs in a diamond-shaped field, restored in the 19th century with silver mounts including a dragon's-head spout.
Üretim
Restored in the 19th century with silver mounts, including a dragon's-head spout.
Üslup
Iznik Ottoman
