WESTERN ANATOLIA, FIRST HALF 18TH CENTURY

The following four lots are all 18^th century examples of Kütahya pottery. The city of Kütahya lies outside Istanbul, in the far north west of Turkey. Along with Iznik and Çanakkale, Kütahya was one of the great centres of Ottoman ceramic production. Colourful and imaginative, the tiles and vessels produced by the potters there are highly collectible examples of Ottoman art.

In the 18^th century, the principle forms produced in Kütahya were small vessels used to prepare and drink coffee (see for instance the following three lots in this sale). However a diverse range of both open and closed forms used in daily life were also produced, including larger bowls of the type seen here. Two bowls of similar scale are in the Sadberk Hanim Museum, included in their recent exhibition on Kütahya (Hülya Bilgi and Idil Zanbak Vermeersch, Kütahya. Sadberk Hanim Museum Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics Collection, no.35 and 36, p.146-48). Another was sold at Sotheby’s, 30 March , lot 133. The decoration on our example is particularly strong and well-controlled.