OTTOMAN TURKEY, CIRCA 1570

Tiles of this series are identifiable in the decoration of the Topkapi Saray Palace, including in the Hirka-i Saadet and the library of Ahmed I. A small number of related tiles have recently appeared on the art market. One of these was sold in Sotheby's, 13 April 2000, lot 111. More recently another sold in these Rooms, 27 April 2004, lot 209. An unusual feature of the present tile is that unlike those mentioned above, ours retains its original upper and lower borders. A very similar tile also with its original borders and of exactly the same height is in the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha (John Carswell, Iznik, Doha, 2003, no. 16, pp.66-67). Another tile with the same main design but different borders is known in a Los Angeles collection (Gerard Paquin, 'Çintamani', Hali, Vol. 64, August 1992, pp.111 and 146).