Page 167 - ART OF THE ISLAMIC AND INDIAN WORLDS Carpets, Ceramics Objects, Christie's London Oct..27, 2022

A RARE LAVENDER GROUND IZNIK JUG

*142
AN IZNIK LAVENDER GROUND SLIP PAINTED POTTERY JUG Kurt Erdmann, Istanbul, 1970, pp.143, 151, 152, 181. The slipware may well
OTTOMAN TURKEY, CIRCA 1570 be a later development of the older tradition of slip-decorated pottery at
The lavender-blue ground decorated in bole-red, white and black with a floral Iznik of the so-called 'Miletus' type. That it was exported can be deduced
design, the interior and base white with a clear glaze, collection stickers on the from slipware sherds in recent excavations close to the Cathedral of St
base including one reading 'Lent by Kelekian No.129' George in Thessalonika. A dish in the Kean Lagonico Collection (No.37)
9ºin. (23.5cm.) high decorated in underglaze lavender, green and relief red with a cintimani
design, has a lavender slipped base, confirming the contemporaneity of the
£120,000-180,000 US$140,000-210,000
two techniques. For another contemporaneous vessel using a more subtle
€140,000-200,000
monochrome slip design please see lot 116.
PROVENANCE:
Kelekian Collection, Paris Lavender-ground slip-decorated examples of Iznik ware include three dishes
Anon sale, Sotheby's, London, 10-11 October 1991, lot 365 in the Musée de la Renaissance, Ecouen (inv. nos. CI.8329, 8550, 8549), all
acquired in Rhodes between 1865-1878. A lavender-ground tankard in the
This rare and visually striking jug has the coloured ground that featured on Louvre (inv. no. A.A.403) is also decorated in red and white slip with dark
a few Iznik wares from the 1550s. At this time potters in Iznik were using grey outlines, and carnations identical to those on this jug. The coral-like
a variety of coloured slips (liquid clay) to cover the bodies of their wares. stems on the jug are not unlike those on a unique white sherd decorated with
They then added detailed designs in slips of contrasting colours and paint. relief red excavated at Iznik in 1987, see Aslanapa, p.307.
The technique appears about the time that relief red was introduced, but
was never widely used; sherds of excavated slipware at Iznik show that Two examples of lavender slip Iznik pottery sold at auction include a dish
it was definitely an Iznik product; see O. Aslanapa, "Pottery and Kilns sold in these Rooms, 6 October 2011, lot 302, and a tankard sold at Sotheby’s
from the Iznik Excavations", Forschungen zur Kunst Asiens in Memoriam London, 20 April, 2016, lot 85.

164 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty 165
fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol. Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.