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Turkey, Iznik, c. 1550
Fritware, underglaze painted
H. 30 cm
Inv. no. 834
The naturalist floral decoration, painted in shades of pale and dark blue violet, aubergine, pale grey and olive green on a white ground, springs from a series of stems along the base of this vessel. The lip and base are emphasised by a frieze of floral motifs set in panels that alternate with pairs of rosettes with three tulip buds.
Less usual colours were introduced into Iznik ceramics in the mid-sixteenth century, especially pastel tones such as salmon, ochre, lavender blue and violet, which were sometimes applied in the engobe as background colours.
Cylindrical tankards (such as this one) with angular flat handles may have been based on European prototypes made of wood, leather or even metal. This model, originally called hanap, was clearly designed for the foreign market or for merchants and diplomats who lived in Turkey. It became a common form throughout the empire in the second half of the sixteenth century.
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