About the Artwork
At first glance, this dish might appear to be blue-and-white porcelain from China, but in fact, it was created by ceramic artists in Iznik, Turkey.
During the Ottoman period in Turkey, members of the royal court avidly collected Chinese ceramics, which they acquired through both trade and diplomacy. In the late 1400s, Iznik potters began to produce local versions of these luxury imports. To re-create the smooth, white appearance of porcelain, they used fritware — a mixture of clay, ground quartz, and ground glass — covered in white slip (liquid clay). Painting designs on the vessels before glazing and firing, they initially replicated floral patterns from Chinese examples in the royal collection, using cobalt blue — as seen in this dish.
Valued for their artistic qualities and their functionality, Iznik wares were both commissioned by the Ottoman palace and produced for a broader market. The large size of this dish made it suitable for serving shared food at communal meals.
Dish
late 15th - early 16th century
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Turkish
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Underglaze-painted fritware
Overall: 16 inches (40.6 cm)
Ceramics
Islamic Art
Museum Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund
2006.58
Public Domain
Markings
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Provenance
possibly collected by 1920/1930s, Private Collection (Amsterdam, Netherlands);April 4, 2006, (Christie's Auction House London, England, sale No. BEAMS-7218, lot 101);
2006 - present, purchase of the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
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Provenance pageExhibition History
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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.
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Suggest FeedbackPublished References
Komaroff, Linda, ed. Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting. Exh. cat., Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles and New York, 2023, pp. 318-319, cat. no. 118a (ill.).
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Credit Line for Reproduction
Turkish, Dish, late 15th - early 16th century, underglaze-painted fritware. Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund, 2006.58.
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