30 T U L I P S A N D C A R N AT I O N S I N A VA S E Turkey (Iznik), 17th century Height: 24.8 cm Width: 24.8 cm
An underglaze-painted tile in shades of cobalt blue and turquoise against a bluish white ground with a symmetrical design of a vase with floral sprays, flanked to either side by a cypress tree. The design is painted with great spontaneity, freshness and movement. The tile is vertically arranged and depicts a pair of tulips and seven carnations all growing from a central vase. The low globular vase is decorated with a pair of addorsed stylised tulip sprays. Framing the vase to either side is a group of small stylised flowers, which fill the ground. The tulips and
carnations all arc outwards and a single turquoise cusped lotus palmette can also been seen just above the vase nestling within the floral stems. To either side, the tile is framed by part of a large cypress tree painted in vibrant turquoise. This tile would have originally been part of a much larger continuous pattern. Tiles of similar age and composition can be seen in the Topkapi Palace, decorating part of an exterior wall of the harem. As the Ottoman court began to withdraw its official patronage in the mid seventeenth century, potters turned elsewhere and sought new markets abroad. Large quantities of tiles were exported to Egypt, and both the mosque of Ibrahim Agha in Cairo and the Coptic church of Deir Abu Seifein are decorated with similar blue and turquoise tiles.1 Reference: 1. John Carswell, Iznik Pottery, 1998, p. 107, pl. 85.
