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Lot Essay
Iznik ceramics with the rare, muted, colour combination of blue, sage green, turquoise and manganese were originally thought to have been produced in Damascus. Many tiles were produced in the Ottoman Levant in the 16th century with the same repertoire of colours and designs. The Ottoman Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (r.1520-66), commissioned the refurbishment of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem – covering the exterior walls with tiles and decorating the interior with hanging lamps. In the 19th century one such hanging lamp was found in Jerusalem. Now in the British Museum that lamp is signed by an artist called Musli and is dated AH 956⁄1549-50 AD. It also bears a reference to Lake Iznik confirming that it was produced there rather than in Damascus, thus reattributing the group (1887.5-16.1; Nurhan Atasoy and Julian Raby, Iznik, the Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, London, 1989, figs. 239 & 355).
Julian Raby has suggested that the lamp signed by Musli and a number of other related vessels were produced by a workshop which he refers to as ‘one of the premier workshops in Iznik’ (Atasoy and Raby, op.cit., p.135). Our dish shares many similarities with this group, including the elongated tulips and the use of cloud-bands within the decoration. Another dish, with similar motifs and with the typical use of the blue ground as seen on the rim of our dish is in the Victoria and Albert Museum attributed there to 1545-55 (1753-1892).
Our dish also provides evidence of a transition in taste towards symmetrical designs, which was something introduced in this period, often attributed to an artist who Julian Raby names ‘The Master of the Hyacinths’. Here the idea of symmetry is clearly present in our potter’s mind, but there are small design elements that show that he is has not committed completely – see for example the saz leaf that runs almost horizontally across the centre of the dish. This dish represents a very short period of production in the history of Iznik and very few appear on the market. A ‘Damascus-style’ Iznik dish sold in these Rooms, 23 April 2015, lot 175. Another dish was sold at Goya Subastas, Madrid, 19 December 2011, lot 245.
Julian Raby has suggested that the lamp signed by Musli and a number of other related vessels were produced by a workshop which he refers to as ‘one of the premier workshops in Iznik’ (Atasoy and Raby, op.cit., p.135). Our dish shares many similarities with this group, including the elongated tulips and the use of cloud-bands within the decoration. Another dish, with similar motifs and with the typical use of the blue ground as seen on the rim of our dish is in the Victoria and Albert Museum attributed there to 1545-55 (1753-1892).
Our dish also provides evidence of a transition in taste towards symmetrical designs, which was something introduced in this period, often attributed to an artist who Julian Raby names ‘The Master of the Hyacinths’. Here the idea of symmetry is clearly present in our potter’s mind, but there are small design elements that show that he is has not committed completely – see for example the saz leaf that runs almost horizontally across the centre of the dish. This dish represents a very short period of production in the history of Iznik and very few appear on the market. A ‘Damascus-style’ Iznik dish sold in these Rooms, 23 April 2015, lot 175. Another dish was sold at Goya Subastas, Madrid, 19 December 2011, lot 245.