IZNIK POLYCHROME JUG DECORATED WITH DELPHINIUMS AND CARNATIONS

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.)