OTTOMAN TURKEY, CIRCA 1565

The strong tall cypress tree which divides the design of our dish into two almost symmetrical halves is a feature which Julian Raby associates with the development of the bole-red glaze in the 1560s, (Nurhan Atasoy and Julian Raby, Iznik, The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, London, 1989, p.235). This is a particularly early example of this composition which gained popularity in the second half of the 16th century. The use of the cypress tree as a vertical axis emphasises the symmetry of the surrounding floral arrangement and further examples of the elegant design can be found in (Atasoy and Raby, op.cit., p.235, nos.427-434). An example in the David Collection, (inv.no. 4/1962, Atasoy and Raby, op.cit., no. 681) similarly displays a cloudband partially obscured by the tree.