Ceramic project 39 - Blue and White cup from Turkey

 

Jug, Iznik, Turkey, 1550's. Stonepaste. The Met Museum accession number 08.102.6

I sourced the inspiration for ceramic 39 while searching for blue and white Iznik items for my essays on BoW. Though I haven't completed the essay yet, it appears that the bi-blue Iznik items utilized Chinese designs more than the line of poly-chrome items produced at the same time. Poly-chrome items from this time did use blue glaze with turquoise accents such as this bottle or included reds and greens as well. It is difficult to tell if there are two types of blue on the extant item, or just two applications of glaze on the darker areas. While the design isn't strongly Chinese, other similar objects have been found emphasise the imitation of Chinese porcelain designs in the Iznik earthenware such as this plate.

I suspect the smeary mess at the top of the jug is due to unequal temperatures in the kiln causing the glaze to run at the top. As my items are fired in an electric kiln, I don't have that problem but I've done my best to replicate the effect.

Ceramic project 39 utilising Chinese influenced design elements from an Iznik jug.

Ceramic 26 - 16th C Iznik plate

AN IZNIK POLYCHROME POTTERY DISH, TURKEY, CIRCA 1575 of shallow round form with an everted rim, decorated in underglaze cobalt blue, green and relief red with black outlines, with a central flowerhead in the cavetto and four stylised palmettes on a a fish-scale design, the rim with a broken wave pattern interspersed by S-shaped motifs, the reverse with flowerheads and foliate bouquets

 

Rim decorations

 

 I tried something new with this plate. Sigal had suggested I lay an undercoat of white on my tiles before scratching off the blue. I don't feel I can start using this method on my tiles because I'm a quarter of the way through and really don't want them to be different.
So, I decided to try that method on this plate because the cleanliness of the white is essential to the design. So I painted three layers of white, and then three of red/green/blue over the top. On the up side, the large expanses of colour aren't streaky like on other plates. The downside, I have to be exceptionally careful when scratching off the glaze. There are small spots on this plate where the scratchings have remained, or the coloured glaze has bubbled off and left white dots. I'll have to try again with less white, see if having a thinner coating of glaze makes a different.

This is the last plate for a while. I've got to organise an event in March and I'm running out of time!

 

The complete plate.

Iznik Pottery and tiles - a review

Iznik pottery and tiles in the Calouste Gulbenkian Collection, ISBN: 9789728847583

This book includes a brief history of the Calouste Gulbenkian collection and discusses different types of decoration in chronological order. Mention is made of the extent of Chineese influence on the Iznik styles as well as the positive outcomes of increased local demand and export. The second half of this book is dedicated to tiles looking at large panels, freizes and border tiles. The book discusses stylistic evolution and follows the use of 'traditional' forms and the inclusion of new symbols. Also highlighted is the evolution of the color pallet for which Iznik tiles are prized. Some lovely examples of experimental forms are included in this book such as a lovely tankard featuring salmon pink flowers (below).
The images in this book are beatifully presented with a good range of extant pieces so the reader can follow the evolution of the style. Information is provided t a level a non-expert would be comfortable with but enough additional references are included so that this becomes a good reference book rather than a pretty coffee table book.

9.5/10

Tankard, Turkey ca 1550. Item 17 in Iznik Pottery and Tiles. Inv. no. 834 in the Gulbenkian Museum collection.

Additional personal notes:

1520 - Turquoise was introduced into the Iznik pallet in the second decade of the 16th century (page 33). Previously, blue and white dominated the colour scheme, a trend adpoted from China

1530-1540 - Sage green (the third stage of evolution) came in

1540 onward  - violet was introduced (page 35)

1550-1570 - 'experimental stage'  uses dark and pale blue, violet, aubergine, light grey and olive green as well as lavender blue.(page 44)