This magnificent Iznik dish is one of the group of vessels referred to by Arthur Lane as "the finest ever made at Iznik. ...They exist with the conviation of nature herself, in a mood of excess." Our dish exhibits a number of the idiosynvcracies of style typical of the best examples of the group. The little flecks of 'seaweed' protruding from the pomegranite motif are seen on three examples. On two is is plain black (Gulbenkian inv no. 818 and Victoria & Albert C.1995-1910), while on a third, closer to ours, it is in turquoise outlined in black (Louvre 3449). The Victoria and Albert example also shows the curious leaves with one half in turquoise and the other in green. The blue leaves with 'seed-pods' in the middle are seen on another dish from the group in a private London collection. All the examples have the very slight cusping of the rim seen here.

The closest dish in design to ours, with the same extremely powerful central motif, is a dish formerly in the Godman Collection (British Museum G.1983.????). That example is executed in the blue and turquoise palette and restrains the design within two borders, one of which is in the cavetto. It also has a far more typical design on the reverse, nor reflecting the frontal design as ours does. The Godman dish in turn may easily be by the same hand as one in the Madina Collection, New York, (no. C202), whose interior borders relate closely to the motifs seen on the reverse of our dish.

Atasoy and Raby, op. cit especially pp. 132 and 133, and pls. 216-219, 244, 247 and 340-343
Atil, E.: The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, Washington and New York, 1987, pl.184, p.261
Godman, F.R.duC.: The Godman Collection of Oriental and Spanish Pottery and Glass, London, 1901, pl.LII, no.16, catalogue no. 36, p.46
Lane, A.: Later Islamic Pottery, London, 1957, p.53 and pl.C