Page 250 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent

On the exterior, thin blue lines define the rim, cavetto, and able facsimile of a Chinese blue-and-white porcelain, exami-
foot. A scalloped blue line encircles the rim while a large and nation reveals that the painter exercised a considerable
freely drawn hatayi scroll decorates the cavetto. This looser amount of artistic freedom, individualizing his piece. The
scroll, painted with light and dark tones of blue, contrasts same individualization is found on each plate with this de-
with the tightly executed hatayi scroll inside the plate. The sign. In contrast to Chinese examples, which retain a consis-
painter created positive and negative versions of the same tent execution and design, iznik blue-and-white shows a var-
theme, using white on blue on the interior and blue on white iation of hands and often a disregard for duplication.
on the exterior. Another group of blue-and-white objects displays the same
In the second group of early blue-and-white ware the stylistic idiosyncrasies, with floral scrolls that have hybrid
themes found on Chinese porcelains were reproduced with hatayis and peonies, elongated feathery leaves, and hooked
considerable flexibility. The shapes of the plates adhere to the trefoils. The elements sway and turn, creating a lively compo-
Chinese prototypes, with clearly defined rims, cavetti, and sition. This particular style appears to belong to a single
central medallions. Scrolls or wave patterns appear on the workshop that flourished in the mid-sixteenth century and
rims, which are at times foliated or plain with a lobed line made both blue-and-white and polychrome examples for one
suggesting foliation; floral scrolls or sprays are placed in the or two generations. Some pieces show animated floral com-
cavetto; and peony scrolls, lotus bouquets, or three bunches positions with birds or creatures hidden among the foliage.
of grapes are used in the center. The exterior repeats the One of the blue-and-white plates made by this studio (171)
composition found on the interior cavetto. The design is al- has a wave pattern on its rim. This pattern, based on Chinese
ways painted in blue on white and never executed in reserve. models, was absorbed into the vocabulary of iznik potters.
In contrast to Chinese ware, the points of the foliated rims The theme of waves crashing on rocks and producing sprays
seldom align with the sprays in the cavettos or the points of of water was abstracted, becoming a series of spiral roundels
the scalloped lines framing the central medallion. The themes and vertical bars alternating with lobed white areas filled
used on the rims and cavetti are chosen at random and do with strokes and triple roundels.
not follow the rigidity seen in blue-and-white Chinese The center of this plate, which disregards the cavetto, has a
porcelains.
Peony scrolls and lotus bouquets inspired by Yuan or Ming
dynasty ceramics were employed in mid-fifteenth-century
bowls and plates as well as in the hexagonal tiles of the Mu-
radiye Mosque in Edirne. The sudden interest in producing
exact copies of Chinese porcelain most likely resulted from
the expansion of the imperial kitchens of the palace, which
created a demand for a substantial stock of serving pieces.
Since it was not always possible to acquire large quantities of
Chinese plates with the same design, iznik potters were called
upon to complete the sets. As usual, the taste of the court set
the precedent and iznik copies of Chinese porcelain became
popular among the wealthy citizens.
The most frequently reproduced design was the peony
scroll that faithfully copied the formal arrangement used in
early Ming dynasty prototypes. 68 In iznik versions there is
generally a high cylindrical foot, light and dark shades of
blue, and a reinterpretation of the floral elements within the
overall composition. One of the examples in the Çinili Kô§k
Collection (170) has a thirteen-lobed rim filled with a scroll
bearing hatayis and peonies intermingled with rounded fruit
resembling pomegranates. The cavetto has thirteen ribbed
panels, each containing a floral spray. The central medallion
encloses a scrolling branch that has four large and four small
blossoms revolving around a central peony. In contrast to the
majority of Chinese-inspired iznik plates, the number of lobes
in the rim and the floral sprays in the cavetto is the same.
The cavetto is identical on the interior and the exterior. 171. Plate with floral scroll, mid-sixteenth century (Copenhagen, The David
Although at first glance the plate appears to be a reason- Collection, 27/1978)

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