A CONQUEROR, POSSIBLY ALEXANDER THE GREAT, OVERSEEING A BATTLE ON AN INDIAN HILLSIDE

Sub-Imperial Mughal, 1610

Folio: 37.3 x 23.3 cm.

Miniature: 26 x 15.5 cm.

Opaque watercolour, ink, heightened with gold on paper.

Mounted on an album page with gilt-sprinkled borders. Inscribed at a later stage ‘Nadir Shah’, in nasta‘liq script, on the outside mount.

A conqueror, possibly Alexander the Great, leading his army across a rocky hillside, surrounded by an entourage. Alexander depicted on horseback shaded by a gold parasol, the horse fully armoured, banner bearers lead the procession following a mahout (elephant rider) astride a fully caparisoned elephant.

In the foreground soldiers on horseback charge in battle brandishing swords and arrows. Musicians performing in full unison against a vivid blue sky, a Mughal palace in the distance beyond.

There are a few details which may support the identification of our conqueror as Alexander the Great (r. 336-323 B.C.E.), known as Iskandar in Muslim lands, who founded an empire that spanned from Greece to the north west of India. Alexander’s first confrontation with war elephants occurred at the Battle of Gaugamela (331 B.C.E.) where the Persians deployed fifteen elephants. Alexander won at Gaugamela, and as he was deeply impressed by the enemy elephants which he later took into his own army. In the present miniature, the elephant leading Alexander’s entourage may be linked to this historical anecdote.

Legend has it that Alexander’s third and last wish before he died was that both his hands be kept out of his coffin; he said he wished people to know that ‘he came empty-handed into this world and empty-handed he left this world’. The standard with a finial in hand form, behind Alexander, might be related to this last wish of his.

Alexander’s military campaigns were chronicled in poet Nizami’s Khamsa (Quintet) in the Iskandernāma (the Alexander Romance) and Ferdowsi’s Shahnāma and were popular subjects in Mughal painting. The ‘Alexander Romance’ which had an impact on Muslim poetry, probably took shape in Alexandria between the 3rd century B.C.E. and the 3rd century C.E. Exactly how the tale reached Persian and Indian oral and literary traditions is not clear. In this tradition Alexander is portrayed a world hero and sometimes as a sage. See, G. Cary, The Medieval Alexander Cambridge, 1956.

Nizami’s Alexander Romance, completed in 1202 C.E., is divided into two books entitled Sharafnāma and Iqbalnāma These include a new, Muslim interpretation of Alexander’s story. According to Nizami, Alexander’s first teacher is Nichomachus and Artistotle is his classmate. On his father Philip’s death Alexander becomes king and soon goes to the rescue of the Egyptians who have been attacked by an enemy. He returns victorious and decides to cease paying tribute to the Persian king Dārā. Their armies meet in battle and two traitorous officers slay Dārā. One of Dārā’s dying wishes is that Alexander marry his daughter Rowshanak.

Now that Alexander is king of Persia, he sets out to destroy the fire temples of the Zoroastrians. He marries Rowshanak but since he wants to travel the world, he sends her back to Anatolia along with his treasure for safety’s sake. He first receives the submission of the Arab lands, and visits the holy Kăba. From there he travels to the land of Bardăwhere he meets Queen Nūshāba, who rules over a court of women. He returns to the East and subdues the fortress of Darband, and then a fortress called Sarīr. He explores the cave of Kay Khosrow and then continues east to India. The Indian king Keyd makes peace by sending the four gifts mentioned by Ferdowsi, and Alexander proceeds thence to China. After considerable negotiations, and a contest between the Greek and Chinese painters, the Chinese emperor submits with dignity to Alexander. He now begins the homeward journey, via the Qipchaq plain and the Russian lands, against whom Alexander must fight seven battles before subduing them.

Alexander’s last major adventure before reaching Anatolia is his visit to the ‘land of darkness’ in search of the water of life. Khizr is his guide, and the results are always the same: Khizr drinks from the spring and becomes immortal and Alexander loses his way and never finds the elixir. The Sharaf-nāma ends when Alexander reaches Anatolia. See, William N. Hanaway, “Eskandar-nāma”, Encyclopaedia Iranica Vol. VIII, Fasc. 6, pp. 609-612.

Body armour for horses, known as barding and depicted in this painting on the horse of the main figure, was used during Alexander’s reign and went onto to influence armies in the centuries to come from India to Europe and North Africa.

The Indian love for horses and battle scenes gave plenty of scope not only for the Mughal schools but the Deccani and Rajput studios too. Examples of full body armour are rare but can be found in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Wallace Collection, London and the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

The term ‘Sub-Imperial’ Mughal was used by the eminent scholar of Indian painting, W. G. Archer who used the phrase to describe artists who worked outside the Mughal court for wealthy patrons, both Muslim and Hindu. The choice of subject gives clues to the identity of the patron and in the case of this painting, the patron is likely to be Muslim. A similar battle scene, dated 1608 C.E. from the collection of Edwin Binney 3rd is now in the San Diego Museum of Art. See E. Binney, Indian Miniatue Paintings from The Collection of Edwin

Binney, 3rd, The Mughal and Deccani Schools with Some Related Sultanate Material Portland Art Museum, Oregon, 1973, no. 32. There are also illustrated SubImperial Mughal manuscripts in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. For further discussion, please see Linda York Leach, Mughal and Other Indian Paintings Dublin, 1995, Vol. II, pp. 529-533.

Acknowledgment:

We would like to thank Margaret Erskine for her expert advice and kind preparation of the material we have used in this catalogue description.

Provenance:

Sotheby’s New York, 21 March, 1990, Lot 48. Acquired by Prominent East Coast Collector, Until 2021. Christie’s New York, 17 March 2021, Lot 435.

Ottoman Empire

First Half of the 16th Century

Height: 19.3 cm.

Fritware, the body of globular form supported on a broad foot-ring, the high cylindrical neck slightly everted toward the rim, an s-shaped handle ring from the rim to the shoulder, painted in underglaze with white and turquoise Chinese clouds on a cobalt blue ground.

The cloud motifs on the present jug have been identified as a subgroup of Chinese clouds and named the “S-cloud motif” by Nurhan Atasoy and Julian Raby. Please see, Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey Alexandria Press, London, 1989, p. 259, No. 549. This motif is first recorded as a border device on a ‘Baba Nakkaş’ candlestick (illustrated in Ibid No. 60, p. 81), datable to Circa 1480, but it seems to have vanished from Iznik potters’ repertoire after 1540. In Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, Atasoy and Raby show the present jug as the last recorded example which is decorated with the “S-cloud motif”. Ibid, p. 259.

The stylised cloud band motif is one of the most favoured motifs of the Ottoman decorative repertoire; frequently used by the artist members of the palace workshop (nakkaşhâne) in the 16th century. Chinese clouds were widely used to decorate Ottoman ceramics, textiles, manuscripts, carpets, glass and woodwork. In Chinese art, this motif is primarily associated with the strength of the dragon and represents the smoke coming out of its mouth. However, in Ottoman art, it was generally interpreted as a stylized cloud in the sky. İnci Ayan Birol, “Tezhip”, TürkiyeDiyanetVakfıİslamAnsiklopedisi vol. 41, 2012, pp. 6568. In the present example, for instance, this appears to be the reason why the potter used blue for the background and white for the clouds.

The cloud band motif were much favoured by Timurid and Akkoyunlu artists. Diverse cloud motifs found in miniature paintings of the Herat and Shiraz schools, on ceramics, metalware and carpets appear to have been adopted by Ottoman artists. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, p. 118.

Iznik jugs in the form of the present piece were first produced in circa 1520. See, Julian Raby & Nurhan Atasoy, Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey Alexandria Press, London, 1989, p. 39. The present jug is an extremely rare and important example of early Iznik ceramic production, displaying true iconic aesthetic and presence.

Provenance:

Ex-Adda Collection

Ex-Kelekian Collection

Labels at the Base:

-Exhibition Label: 1910 Munich Exhibition

-Collection Label: “Kelekian No. 19”

Exhibition:

Exhibited in Munich, at the Masterpieces of Islamic Art (Meisterwerken Muhammedanischer Kunst) exhibition in 1910, catalogued in Meisterwerken Muhammedanischer Kunst No. 1528 (R. 68).

Exhibited in Alexandria, at the Exposition d’Art Musulman, Les Amis de l’Art, Alexandrie, in 1925. (please see the photograph above)

Literature:

-Published in Julian Raby & Nurhan Atasoy, Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey Alexandria Press, London, 1989, p. 259, pl. 549.

-Published in Bernard Rackham, Islamic Pottery and Italian Maiolica Faber and Faber, London, 1959, pl. 37, No. 73.

Ottoman Empire

Second Half of the 16th Century

Height: 26 cm.

Fritware, the body of rounded form set on a pedestal foot, dome-shaped cover with a bud-form finial set on the top, underglaze painted in cobalt blue, relief red, green and outlined in black with saz leaves and rumi sprouts, a band of key-fret patterning at junction between bowl and cover.

The saz leaf seen on our footed bowl, is an important motif frequently used by the artists employed in the Ottoman court studio. The first representative of the saz style at the Ottoman palace was Şahkulu, an artist brought from Tabriz by Sultan Selim I (r. 1512-1520). This style was a departure from the classical miniature painting, characterised by pictures drawn with a brush in black ink, featuring long pointed leaves, giving birth to the term saz leaf’. Paintings in the saz style may remind a thick forest with intertwined curved leaves and khatai blossoms. In fact, the word saz used to mean ‘forest’ in the Dede Korkut stories that date back to the 10th or 11th century. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, p. 106.

The present bowl with cover belongs to a small group of Izniks and there are only a few recorded comparable examples. An Iznik bowl and cover in similar form is in the British Museum (Museum number: FBIs-5), London. Please see: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/ object/W_FBIs-5

A second closely related example is in the Louvre Museum (Inv. No. 7880/101-2), Paris. Please see, Julian Raby & Nurhan Atasoy, Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey Alexandria Press, London, 1989, p. 339, pl 742. Lastly, a comparable Iznik footed bowl and cover in similar form is in the Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul. Please see, Hülya Bilgi, Ateşin Oyunu – Sadberk Hanım MüzesiveÖmerKoçKoleksiyonlarındanİznikÇini ve Seramikleri Vehbi Koç Vakfı, İstanbul, 2009, pp. 398-399.

Provenance: Ex-Private French Collection

Ottoman Empire

Second half of the 16th Century

Height: 22.5 cm.

Fritware, with bulbous body, slightly flaring neck and s-shaped handle. Decorated in blue, green and coral red, on the body and the neck, with delphiniums and carnations. Narrow band of wave motifs around the rim.

This jug, with its delphiniums and carnation motifs, is an excellent example of the use of flowers in Ottoman decorative repertoire. Delphiniums, hyacinths and carnations, much favoured by the artists working in the 16th century Ottoman palace workshops (nakkaşhane), were used in the decoration of Iznik ceramics as well as imperial silks and velvets. Please see Ara Altun & Belgin Arlı’s Tiles – Treasures of Anatolian Soil – Ottoman Period Kale Group Cultural Publications, Istanbul, 2008, fig. 140, p. 135 and Michael Rogers’ Topkapı: Costumes, Embroideries and other Textiles Thames & Hudson, London, 1989, pl. 22.

Like the tulip and rose, the carnation is one of the flowers frequently mentioned in Ottoman court poetry where it is likened to the face or cheek of the beloved. From the second half of the 16th century carnations are one of the most widely used motifs in designs by palace artists for fabrics, embroideries, tiles and ceramic ware. In Iznik ceramic decoration the thickly applied coral red so characteristic of this ware is used also for carnations as can be seen on the present jug. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, pp. 98-99.

A comparable Iznik dish decorated with delphinium sprouts is in the David Collection, Copenhagen. Please see, Julian Raby & Nurhan Atasoy, Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, Alexandria Press, London, 1989, p. 235, pl 428.

Provenance:

Ex-Émile Tabbagh Collection, Paris.

Émile Tabbagh (d. 1936 ?)

Émile Tabbagh was a renowned dealer-collector. A catalogued sale of his famous collection took place in 3-4 January 1936, at Anderson Galleries, in New York. The title of the sale catalogue is A Magnificent Collection of Near Eastern and Early Mediterranean

Art: Ceramics, Miniatures, Oriental Rugs, Ancient Glass – Property oftheEstateoftheLateÉmileTabbagh,ParisandNewYork

American Art Association Anderson Galleries (30 East 57th Street New York), 3-4 January 1936. Please see this link for the PDF of the Émile Tabbagh Collection sale catalogue: https:// ia904508.us.archive.org/30/items/magnificentcolle00amer/ magnificentcolle00amer.pdf

Iznik Polychrome Dish Decorated With A Roundel Surrounded By Rotating Rumis

Ottoman Empire Second Half of the 16th Century Diameter: 29.2 cm.

Fritware, underglaze painted in cobalt blue, coral red, green, black. The central red roundel is surrounded by eight, intertwined white rumis, encircled by a blue and green border on the rim.

The rumi motif has a special place in traditional Ottoman patterns. This motif is called rumi by the Ottomans, islimi by the Persianate dynasties and arabesque by the Europeans. There are divergent views on the origin of this motif, some regarding it floral in origin, others as zoomorphic, such as the theory that it derives from the wings of birds or mythical animals in central Asian art. The motif developed in Samarra in the 9th century and spread to the Islamic lands, becoming a dominant feature in Karahanid, Ghaznavid, Fatimid, Abbasid, Andalusian Umayyad and Mamluk art and above all becoming popular in Anatolia, also known as Rum, from which the name rumi derives. Some outstanding examples of rumi motifs are found in Anatolian Seljuk stone carving and woodwork usually combined with lotus and palmette motifs. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, p. 174. For a collection of compositions with rumis please see, Owen Jones. The Grammar of Ornament – A Unique Collection of Classical Designs from Around the World, Girard & Steward, 1856, pl. 36-38.

In the present dish, the rotating rumis form a ‘wheel of fortune’ motif which symbolises movement and transformation because of its endless turning movement. This motif has been used throughout the world since antiquity and although its meaning has varied from culture to culture it has principally symbolized various cosmic elements associated with the cycle of life. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, pp. 46-49.

Comparable Iznik dishes decorated rotating central designs can be seen in the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Museum (Inv. No. 819), Lisbon, Fitzwilliam museum (Inv. No. C.30-1911), Cambridge, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Inv. no. 1971-23). Please see, Julian Raby & Nurhan Atasoy, Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey Alexandria Press, London, 1989, p. 243, pl. 466, 467, 468.

Provenance:

Ex-Adda Collection (Adda Collection Sale Catalogue, Collection d’un Grand Amateur Palais Galliera, 1965, Lot 859.)

Iznik Polychrome Dish Decorated With Rotating Red Tulips

Ottoman Empire Second Half of the 16th Century Diameter: 26.2 cm.

Fritware, underglaze painted in blue, coral red, green, black. Decorated with rotating red tulips around a central flower head, the rim with blue double-tulip motifs and red flower heads.

The tulip has a symbolic meaning in Ottoman art. The letters of the word tulip (Lâle [ هللا]) in Turkish and Persian are the same letters used for writing the word Allah [ الله] (God). These two words have the same numerological value in the abjad system (a decimal alphabetic numeral system in which the twenty-eight letters of the Arabic alphabet are assigned numerical values). Tulip is one of the leading decorative elements in Ottoman art; frequently used together with roses, hyacinths, saz leaves. It is also used with khatai blossoms as can be seen in the present dish. Tulip also played a role in imagery in Ottoman poetry. In many poems, tulip leaves are likened to the cheeks of the beloved. The word lāleh-khad (lâle-had), often used in Ottoman poetry, means ‘tulip-cheeked’. Tulips were among the most favoured motifs used in the Ottoman court workshops in the 16th century. The name ‘tulip’ is thought to have derived from the Turkish word tülbend (from the Persian word دنبلد dulband]) -meaning ‘large cotton band which is used in the making of turban or headgear’- because of the fancied resemblance of the flower to a turban.

During the 16th and 17th centuries interest in tulip breeding grew in Istanbul and şükûfenâmes (books on flowers) and treatises were written about tulips. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, pp. 90-93.

In the present dish, the rotating tulips form a ‘wheel of fortune’ motif which symbolises movement and transformation because of its endless turning movement. This motif has been used throughout the world since antiquity and although its meaning has varied from culture to culture it has principally symbolized various cosmic elements associated with the cycle of life. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, pp. 46-49.

A related Iznik dish decorated with rotating tulips is in the Ömer M. Koç Collection. Please see, Hülya Bilgi, AteşinOyunu–SadberkHanımMüzesiveÖmerM.Koç KoleksiyonlarındanİznikÇiniveSeramikleri Vehbi Koç Vakfı, İstanbul, 2009, p. 280, pl. 164.

Comparable Iznik dishes decorated rotating central designs can be seen in the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Museum (Inv. No. 819), Lisbon, Fitzwilliam museum (Inv. No. C.30-1911), Cambridge, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Inv. no. 1971-23). Please see, Julian Raby & Nurhan Atasoy, Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey Alexandria Press, London, 1989, p. 243, pl. 466, 467, 468.

Provenance:

Ex-Monsieur B. Collection, Paris. Ex-Private Belgian Collection.

Iznik Polychrome Dish Decorated With Bunches Of Spring Flowers And Blue Tulips

Ottoman Empire Second Half of the 16th Century Diameter: 30 cm.

Fritware, underglaze painted in cobalt blue, coral red, green, black. Decorated with bunches of red and blue spring flowers, the rim with blue double-tulip motifs and flower heads.

In the Ottoman period flowers, decorating the present dish, were a constant part of daily life, grown in gardens everywhere, from palaces to humble homes. Flowers were blessed reminders of the gardens of heaven. Foreign travellers and ambassadors who visited the empire frequently remarked about this love of flowers. The 17th century Ottoman writer and traveller Evliya Çelebi describes how vases of roses, tulips, hyacinths, narcissi and lilies were placed between the rows of worshippers in the Eski Mosque and the Üç Şerefeli Mosque in Edirne, and how their scent filled the prayer halls. As depicted in the present dish, vases of flowers adorned niches in the walls, dining trays and rows of vases were placed around rooms and pools. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, pp. 86-90.

The tulip, repeatedly used in rim of our dish, has a symbolic meaning in Ottoman art. The letters of the word tulip (Lâle [ هللا]) in Turkish and Persian are the same letters used for writing the word Allah الله] (God). These two words have the same numerological value in the abjad system (a decimal alphabetic numeral system in which the twenty-eight letters of the Arabic alphabet are assigned numerical values). Tulip is one of the leading decorative elements in Ottoman art; frequently used together with roses, hyacinths, saz leaves. It is also used with khatai blossoms as can be seen in the present tile. Tulip also played a role in imagery in Ottoman poetry. In many poems, tulip leaves are likened to the cheeks of the beloved. The word lāleh-khad (lâle-had), often used in Ottoman poetry, means ‘tulip-cheeked’. Tulips were among the most favoured motifs used in the Ottoman court workshops in the 16th century. The name ‘tulip’ is thought to have derived from the Turkish word tülbend (from the Persian word دنبلد [dulband]) -meaning ‘large cotton band which is used in the making of turban or headgear’- because of the fancied resemblance of the flower to a turban.

A comparable Iznik dish decorated with almost identical bunches of spring flowers, is in the Louvre Museum (Inv. No. 7880/70), Paris. Please see, Julian Raby & Nurhan Atasoy, Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, Alexandria Press, London, 1989, p. 234, pl 425. The present dish is a rare and important example reflecting both the high quality and awe-inspiring creativity achieved by of Iznik potters.

Provenance:

Ex-Dr. Joseph Chompret Collection. (The present Iznik dish is recorded in Dr. Chompret’s personal collection register, in page 47.)

Dr. Chompret was born in Paris, in 1869. The son of a country doctor, he chose a medical career and obtained his medical degree in 1893. He specialized in stomatology, and invented the ‘syndesmotome’. For many years he was head of the Saint-Louis hospital in Paris. He was a great collector. He was interested in old cutlery, pewter, ivory and medieval enamels. However he was very enthusiastic about ceramics and his collection of French earthenware, Italian majolica and Middle Eastern ceramics is renowned. Doctor Chompret was also a great friend of museums. The Ceramic Museum of Sèvres received 280 pieces, and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs 339 pieces from Dr Chompret’s collection. Between 1931 and 1956 he was the president of the Friends of Sèvres (Amis de Sèvres) association. He died in 1956.

Ottoman Empire

Second half of the 16th Century

Height: 25 cm.

IZNIK JUG DECORATED WITH TULIPS, SPRING FLOWERS AND SAZ LEAVES IN MEDALLIONS

Fritware, with bulbous body, slightly flaring neck and s-shaped handle. Decorated in cobalt blue, green and coral red, on the body and the neck, with white-red saz leaves, blue tulips, red spring flowers and şemse medallions.

The saz leaf, seen on our jug, is an important motif frequently used by the artists employed in the Ottoman court studio. The first representative of the saz style at the Ottoman palace was Şahkulu, an artist brought from Tabriz by Sultan Selim I (r. 15121520). This style was a departure from the classical miniature painting, characterised by pictures drawn with a brush in black ink, featuring long pointed leaves, giving birth to the term saz leaf’. Paintings in the saz style may remind a thick forest with intertwined curved leaves and khatai blossoms. In fact, the word saz, used to mean ‘forest’ in the Dede Korkut stories that date back to the 10th or 11th century. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, p. 106.

Stylized medallion motifs are known as şemse in Turkish, a word deriving from the Arabic shams meaning sun. They are used as frame for diverse designs and arranged in various ways that plays a fundamental role in compositional layouts. Foremost among the arts in which şemse medallions have been used is bookbinding. In time these medallions became oval in shape and sometimes pendants were added at both ends. They frequently feature darts drawn around the edges that are assumed to represent sunrays. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, p. 180.

A comparable Iznik jug decorated with identical şemse medallions is published in Hülya Bilgi, Ateşin Oyunu–SadberkHanımMüzesiveÖmerM.Koç

KoleksiyonlarındanİznikÇiniveSeramikleri,

Vehbi Koç Vakfı, İstanbul, 2009, p. 153, pl. 66.

Provenance: Ex-Private French Collection

Ottoman Empire

Second Half of the 16th Century

Diameter: 30 cm.

Iznik Polychrome Dish Decorated With A Sailing Ship

Fritware, underglaze painted in coral red, green, blue and black. Depicting a sailing ship with three masts, in open sea. The rim decorated with stylized wave motifs.

Iznik ceramics decorated with sailing ships are rare. Depicting sailing ships was a novelty for the decorative repertoire of Iznik ceramics. According to Nurhan Atasoy and Julian Raby, the ships depicted on these Iznik dishes are European or lateen-rigged ships (ships with a triangular sail set). See, Nurhan Atasoy and Julian Raby, Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey Thames and Hudson, London, 1989, p. 280. Ships which have always been such a vital part of the commercial life and wealth of the Ottoman Empire, and its capital Istanbul, were lovingly used as enriching motifs in Iznik ceramics and textiles. Please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, pp. 210-211.

The wave motif or ‘rocks and waves’ surrounding the rim of the present dish is one of the schematic motifs inspired by nature which is found on Yuan period blue and white Chinese porcelain. The earliest examples with wave borders are found on the ceramics in the socalled potters’ style which were produced from around 1525 onwards. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, pp. 122-123.

Iznik dishes similarly decorated with sailing ships from the Musée National de la Renaissance have been published in Frédéric Hitzel & Mireille Jacotin’s Iznik –L’Aventure d’Une Collection, Les Céramique Ottomanes du Musée National de la Renaissance, Château d’Écouen Paris, 2005, pp. 304-305. For a closely related dish in the Ömer Koç Collection, see Hülya Bilgi’s

AteşinOyunu:SadberkHanımMüzesiveÖmerKoç KoleksiyonlarındanİznikÇiniveSeramikleri Sadberk

Hanım Müzesi, İstanbul, 2009, pl. 284.

Provenance:

Ex-Angélique Amandry Collection (1925-2021).

Born in 1925, Angélique Amandry was an archaeologist, art dealer and art collector. She was secretary to the École Française in Athens. Between 1949-1969, she lived in Strasbourg. Between 1969 and 1981 she lived in Athens. Then she moved to Paris where she married Pierre Amandry. After moving to Strasbourg she became an art dealer. She donated the profit from her sales to the widows of war veterans. For ten years, the name of her stand was ‘AZ La Decouvérte’. She acquired some of her first philHellenic pieces in this period. On her return to Athens, she thought of organizing an exhibition to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Greek independence. The exhibition, held in Hilton Athens, was titled ‘Images of French Philhellenism 1820-1840’. Later, she moved to Paris and she published L'Independance Grecque Dans La Faience Francaise Du 19e Siecle in 1982. Later in her life, she continued working as an antique dealer. She died in 2021.

Ottoman Empire Mid-16th Century

Dimension: 26 x 26.4 cm.

Important Iznik Pottery Blue And White Tile

Fritware, painted under clear glaze with cobalt blue and turquoise; the composition consists of intertwined saz leaves and khatai blossoms, each decorated with white flower heads.

The combination of cobalt blue and turquoise seen on the present tile can also be found on the famous Sünnet Odası (Circumcision Room) tiles in the Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul. Especially the saz leaves and khatai blossoms on the side panels of the Circumcision Room tiles feature similar use of cobalt blue and turquoise. Please see, Ahmet Ertuğ and Walter Denny, Gardens of Paradise – 16th Century Turkish Ceramic Tile Production, p. 81.

The saz leaf is an important motif frequently used by the artists employed in the Ottoman court studio. The first representative of the saz style at the Ottoman palace was Şahkulu, an artist brought from Tabriz by Sultan Selim I (r. 1512-1520). This style was a departure from the classical miniature painting, characterised by pictures drawn with a brush in black ink, featuring long pointed leaves, giving birth to the term ‘saz leaf’. Paintings in the saz style may remind a thick forest with intertwined curved leaves and khatai blossoms. In fact, the word saz, used to mean ‘forest’ in the Dede Korkut stories that date back to the 10th or 11th century. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, p. 106.

There are many hypothesis about the origin of the khatai motif. One of these is that this motif was created by an artist who travelled from Herat to China, or that it was inspired by the lotus, but all agree that the name derives from Hitay, a region of China. For further information please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, p. 104.

An important Iznik ‘Damascus style’ dish with similar cobalt blue and turquoise is published in our gallery’s 2017 catalogue Kent Antiques Islamic and Indian Art – Works of Art from the Islamic World and Orientalist Paintings, London, 2017, No. 18.

Comparable Iznik dishes and footed bowls similarly decorated with khatai blossoms in cobalt blue and turquoise, produced between 1545-1550, are published in Nurhan Atasoy & Julian Raby’s Iznik – The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, Alexandria Press, London, 1994, pl. 352 and pl. 358.

Three Iznik tiles, identical to the present tile, are in the Louvre Museum (Inv. No. AD 5971/1, AD 5971/3, AD 5971/4), Paris. Please see, https://collections. louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010332784

A counterpart of the present tile is published in Couleurs d’Orient - Arts et arts de vivre dans l’Empire Ottoman Catalogue d’exposition, Villa Empain, Fondation Boghossian, Bruxelles, 18 November 2010 - 27 February 2011, p. 47.

A similar tile decorated with saz leaves and flower heads is found in the Cincinnati Museum. Counterparts of the Cincinnati tile are found in the Rüstem Pasha Mosque in Istanbul. See, Ara Altun & Belgin Arlı, Tiles – Treasures of Anatolian Soil – Ottoman Period Kale Group Cultural Publications, Istanbul, 2008, p. 183, fig. 204.

This is a rare tile displaying wonderful precision in outlining and colours which is a result of masterful brushwork and excellent firing.

Provenance:

A. Jacob Collection (1942-1988), Paris.

Ottoman Empire

Second half of the 16th Century

Dimensions: 25 x 25 cm.

Pair Of Iznik Tiles Decorated With Tulips And Spring Flowers In A Vase

Painted under clear glaze with coral red, green, cobalt blue, black; the composition consists of a central vase with blue tulips and spring flowers, surrounded by red tulips from the left and the right.

In the Ottoman period flowers, like those decorating the present tiles, were a constant part of daily life, grown in gardens everywhere, from palaces to humble homes. Foreign travellers and ambassadors who visited the empire frequently remarked about this love of flowers. The 17th century Ottoman writer and traveller Evliya Çelebi describes how vases of roses, tulips, hyacinths, narcissi and lilies were placed between the rows of worshippers in the Eski Mosque and the Üç Şerefeli Mosque in Edirne, and how their scent filled the prayer halls. As depicted in the present tiles, vases of flowers adorned niches in the walls, dining trays and rows of vases were placed around rooms and pools. For further information about ‘flowers in baskets or vases’ motifs please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, pp. 110-111.

The tulip has a symbolic meaning in Ottoman art. The letters of the word tulip (Lâle [ هللا]) in Turkish and Persian are the same letters used for writing the word Allah [ الله] (God). These two words have the same numerological value in the abjad system (a decimal alphabetic numeral system in which the twenty-eight letters of the Arabic alphabet are assigned numerical values). Tulip is one of the leading decorative elements in Ottoman art; frequently used together with roses, hyacinths, saz leaves. It is also used with khatai blossoms as can be seen in the present tile. Tulip also played a role in imagery in Ottoman poetry. In many poems, tulip leaves are likened to the cheeks of the beloved. The word lāleh-khad (lâle-had), often used in Ottoman poetry, means ‘tulip-cheeked’. Tulips were among the most favoured motifs used in the Ottoman court workshops in the 16th century. The name ‘tulip’ is thought to have derived from the Turkish word tülbend (from the Persian word دنبلد [dulband]) -meaning ‘large cotton band which is used in the making of turban or headgear’- because of the fancied resemblance of the flower to a turban.

An almost identical Iznik tile is in the Sadberk Hanım Museum (Inv. No. 4184), Istanbul. Please see, the exhibition catalogue Istanbul: The City and the Sultan December 16, 2006 - April 15, 2007, organised by Stichting Projecten De Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam, 2006, p. 52.

Provenance:

Ex-Doltrap Family Collection, The Netherlands.

Mesopotamia

9th Century

Diameter: 20.5 cm.

Height: 6 cm.

FINE ABBASID TIN-GLAZED POTTERY BOWL WITH KUFIC INSCRIPTION

Earthenware, the rounded earthenware body covered with an opaque white glaze, Arabic inscription painted in glaze in cobalt blue from right rim towards the centre.

This bowl is an exceptional example of early Islamic tinglazed pottery and epitomises the powerful abstraction of the early Abbasid style. While the shape follows a Chinese prototype, the use of cobalt blue is a novel departure that was to have a profound and long-lasting influence on future ceramics. The application of cobalt directly into the raw glaze creates a soft impression, described by Arthur Lane as “like ink on snow”. Arthur Lane, Early Islamic Pottery, London, 1947, p. 13.

Inscription in Arabic, in kufic script: date which allow us to know the piece’s exact date of production. For further information on the use of calligraphy on early Islamic ceramics please see Ernst Grube, Islamic Pottery of the Eighth to the Fifteenth Century in the Keir Collection, Faber & Faber, London, 1976, p. 98.

Translation:

“What was made, was made.”

An Abbasid bowl bearing the same kufic inscription is published in Oya Pancaroğlu, Perpetual Glory –Medieval Islamic Ceramics from the Harvey B. Plotnick Collection The Art Institute of Chicago, Yale University Press, New Haven, 2007, p. 40 (Catalogue No. 1).

Calligraphy has at all times been one of the major ‘motifs’ of Islamic art and continues to be a primary element of Islamic design both in the formal sense and as means of communication. Calligraphy, as a motif, served both visually with its uniquely Islamic aesthetic and delivered messages as a text; such as good wishes to the owner, poems or pious quotations like verses from the Qur’an or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. In many instances, calligraphic inscriptions, particularly verses from the Qur’an or sayings of the Prophet, are considered as a source of grace and blessing barakah) as well. In some rare cases, the inscription records the

There is a comparable Abbasid opaque white glazed bowl with a similar kufic inscription in cobalt blue in the Khalili Collection (Accession No. POT184), London. Please see, Ernst Grube, Cobalt and Lustre The Nour Foundation, Ed. Julian Raby, Azimuth Editions, Oxford University Press, 1994, p. 45, no. 34. The inscription on the Khalili bowl has been deciphered as ‘Abduhu ‘Abduhu (His [God’s] slave). For more information about such inscriptions on early Islamic pottery please see, Manijeh Bayani, “A Note on the Content and Style of Inscriptions” in Oya Pancaroğlu, Perpetual Glory –Medieval Islamic Ceramics from the Harvey B. Plotnick Collection The Art Institute of Chicago, Yale University Press, New Haven, 2007, pp. 154-155.

Provenance: Private UK Collection

Persia

Early 13th Century

Diameter: 22 cm.

Height: 9.5 cm.

KASHAN BOWL DECORATED WITH STYLISED LEAF MOTIFS AND ARABIC POEMS BY AL-IMAM AL-SHAFI (D. 820) AND TARAFAH (D. 569)

Fritware, of shallow form with flaring walls and flattened rim on a low foot, decorated in two shades of underglaze cobalt blue with black under a transparent colourless glaze, with six black ribbon bands radiating outwards from the centre, each with a line of cursive script, the interstices with large palmette motifs formed from split-leaves issuing upwards towards the rim, the back with sprays of waterweed.

Inscriptions

The inscriptions written in six lines, in white, on black bands, are selected verses from classical Arab poetry. They are about the importance of learning and the value of knowledge.

The first four lines are from a poem from the Diwan (collected works) of the famous al-Imam al-Shafi (d. 820 C.E. Please see, Diwan al-Imam al-Shafi, ed. Abd al-Rahman al-Mustawi, Dar al-Ma‘rifat, Beirut, 1426 A.H. / 2005 C.E., p. 94).

Translation

“The days will reveal to you that of which you are ignorant, The one whom you did not provide provisions will bring you news.”

Early 13th century Kashan ceramics are inscribed both in Arabic and Persian. Very few pieces contain only Arabic text. For more information please see, Manijeh Bayani, “A Note on the Content and Style of Inscriptions” in Oya Pancaroğlu, Perpetual Glory – Medieval Islamic Ceramics from the Harvey B. Plotnick Collection The Art Institute of Chicago, Yale University Press, New Haven, 2007, p. 154.

Translation

“Learn, no one is born learned and erudite.

And a brother of knowledge is not like someone who is ignorant. The leader of people who has no knowledge, Becomes a little man if people turn against him.”

The following two lines are from the Diwan of Tarafah ibn al-‘Abd (d. 569). Tarafah is one of the celebrated seven poets (Tarafah ibn al-‘Abd, AlNabigha, Antarah b. Shaddad, Zuhayr b. Abi Sulma, ‘Alqama and Imru al-Qays) of the most celebrated anthology of ancient Arab poetry, the Mu‘allaqat

Calligraphy has at all times been one of the major ‘motifs’ of Islamic art and continues to be a primary element of Islamic design both in the formal sense and as means of communication. Calligraphy, as a motif, served both visually with its uniquely Islamic aesthetic and delivered messages as a text; such as good wishes to the owner, poems or pious quotations like verses from the Qur’an or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. In many instances, calligraphic inscriptions, particularly verses from the Qur’an or sayings of the Prophet, are considered as a source of grace and blessing (barakah) as well. In some rare cases, the inscription records the date which allow us to know the piece’s exact date of production. For further information on the use of calligraphy on early Islamic ceramics please see Ernst Grube, Islamic Pottery of the Eighth to the Fifteenth Century in the Keir Collection, Faber & Faber, London, 1976, p. 98.

A comparable Kashan bowl, with similar decoration and inscriptions, is in the Sarikhani Collection. Please see, Oliver Watson, Ceramics of Iran – Islamic Pottery from the Sarikhani Collection Yale University Press, London, 2020, p. 301, no. 152. A second very similar Kashan bowl is in the Metropolitan Museum (Acc. No. 20.120.37), New York. Please see the link, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/ collection/search/447151

Provenance: Ex-Matossian Collection

Timurid Empire

15th Century

Diameter: 34 cm.

Height: 10 cm.

LARGE AND IMPRESSIVE KUBACHI POTTERY BOWL DECORATED WITH A MANGO, FLORAL ELEMENTS AND SPIRALS

Painted in black under a pale turquoise glaze, decorated with a pineapple, floral elements, and an incised pattern of spirals.

This striking turquoise and black bowl belongs to a group of Persian ceramics known as the Kubachi-ware. Kubachi is the name of a town in the Caucasus where examples of this pottery were discovered. As for their centre of production, art-historians have come to the conclusion that Kubachi ceramics were produced in north-western Persia.

Kubachi-ware is made of fritware. Some examples, like the present bowl, feature the graceful combination of turquoise glazes with black figures. This aesthetic appears to be a response to Chinese celadon.

The floral elements on the present piece played an important role in Persian art since flowers were regarded as blessed reminders of the gardens of heaven. In Persian poetry, the rose symbolizes the beloved, hyacinth the beloved’s hair, daffodil the beloved’s eyes, tulip the beloved’s cheeks, jasmine the beloved’s skin. Foreign travellers and ambassadors who visited Persia frequently remarked about this love of flowers. For further information and discussion about the use of floral motifs please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, pp. 174-178.

A very similar Kubachi bowl is in the Metropolitan Museum (Acc. No. 17.120.70), New York. Please see the link, https://www.metmuseum.org/ art/collection/search/446926 In the Metropolitan Museum’s entry, it has been stated that “This bowl is among the earliest examples” of Kubachi-ware.

Provenance: Private UK Collection