H x W x D: 27.8 x 24.4 x 2.8 cm (10 15/16 x 9 5/8 x 1 1/8 in)
Type:
Architectural Element
Origin:
Iznik, Turkey
Date:
ca. 1525-50
Period:
Ottoman period
Description:
Hexagonal-shaped architectural tile, with blue and white glazes. Decorated with stylized floral designs in two colors of blue glaze.
Label:
During the early sixteenth century, Iznik ceramic production focused primarily on vessels. With the accession of the Ottoman ruler Sultan Sulayman (reigned 1522–60), and his ambitious building projects throughout the empire, demand for Iznik tiles grew and rivaled that for ceramic objects. The elegant design of this blue-and-white tile, combining full lotus flowers, broken stems, and serrated leaves, finds many parallels in contemporary ink drawings, textiles, and manuscript illumination. By drawing on a distinct body of designs and skillfully adapting these to different media, sixteenth-century Ottoman artists lend their work a recognizable visual unity and artistic identity.
Provenance:
To 1998
Axia Art Islamique et Byzantin, London, to 1998 [1]
From 1998
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Axia Art Islamique et Byzantin in 1998
Notes:
[1] According to the seller, the previous owner purchased this object at a public auction in the UK (see Curatorial Note 3 in the object record). See also invoice from Axia Art Islamique et Byzantin, copy in object file, Collections Management Office.
Collection:
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History:
Engaging the Senses (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)
Beyond the Legacy--Anniversary Acquisitions of the Freer Gallery of Art (October 11, 1998 to April 11, 1999)
Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016)
