Plate

İznik, Turkey, second half of 16th century

Fritware with underglaze painting.

Diameter: 28.5 cm

UMP 16494

The plate has been decorated with black, blue, green and red underglaze painting. Rock and wave motifs based on Chinese patterns are painted along the lip while a bouquet of tulips, roses and carnations is presented in the well, making the plate a typical example of İznik ware from the second half of the 16th century.

It is believed that Josef Škorpil purchased two İznik ware plates at the Exposition Universelle of 1889 in Paris together with other Syrian and Iranian pottery, thus adding quintessential examples of pottery from these regions to the decorative art collections. The acquisition was made during a period when interest in Turkish pottery was just starting to increase among museums and collectors. (JMl)

l Iznik