The enduring appeal of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain across the Islamic World and Europe for centuries is apparent by the variety of imitators the artform has inspired. The back and forth of artistic exchanges, the intermingling of forms and shapes, and the movement of people and ideas across the Silk Road meant that many art forms took on imitative tradition, beginning in the far reaches of the East, traveling West where they changed form, and traveling back East again. Such is the case for the 16th century potters of Iznik, Turkey, who set out to mimic the blue-and-white Chinese wares so coveted and revered by the Ottoman sultans. Yet what they achieved, through experimentation and interpretation, was original and significant in its own right.
A Chinese Export to the Middle Eastern Market
Bowl with Variation of 'Baba Nakkas' Design, Iznik, Turkey, ca 1500, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection
Plate with chrysanthemums and peonies, Ming Dynasty, China, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection.
The birth of blue-and-white porcelain began in ancient Persia with the discovery of cobalt blue ore. The Persians used the pigment to decorate their pottery for centuries, however they were unable to control the material to produce high-fired pottery. The expansion of Silk Road trading routes in the 14th century saw imported cobalt from Persia introduced to China for the first time. This coincided with the development of a technically advanced substance unique to China in this period: porcelain.
Despite the high level of craftsmanship achieved by fusing the cobalt glaze with the body made of white clay mixed with pulverized china stone and fired at a high temperature, Chinese elites didn’t attach much value to these wares. And, much of the blue-and-white porcelain produced during the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) and subsequent Ming Dynasty was intended for export to the Middle Eastern market, where they took up privileged positions at the banquet tables of shahs and sultans alike.
Early Iznik Development
Situated 40 miles from the Ottoman capital of Istanbul, the workshops of Iznik, began producing ‘çini’ wares by the early 1500s, possessing the prototypical Chinese blue-and-white palette. To emulate porcelain, artisans in Iznik developed a fritware body consisting of a brilliant white slip, onto which painted decoration and a rich cobalt glaze were added.
Classic tulip and lotus tiles in Mosque of Rustem Pacha Hirvati.
Lotus motif from tiles in the Mosque of Rustem Pacha Hirvati.
During the middle of the 15th century, Iznik began to mature, most prominently at the hands of Baba Nakkas (in Turkish, meaning Father Designer or Old Master Designer), the chief artist of Mehmed the Conqueror's imperial court in Istanbul. There are two reasons the Baba Nakkas era was significant: firstly, the setting of a precedent for court patronage of Iznik production that continued until the artform’s eclipse; and secondly, the blending of arabesque motifs from Iran and chinoiserie elements from China into the rumi-hatayi style. This departure – defined by tightened arabesque scrolls, sinuous clouds, floral stems – from the Chinese antecedent, set Ottoman ceramic art on a more assertive course.
The Golden Age of Iznik
The 16th century saw the height of Iznik artistry, its sophistication and the accompanying flowering of artistic freedom in the ceramic ateliers. This was a time during which the introduction of new colors like turquoise, hues of green, and aubergine were applied using stylized motifs from rosettes and serrated leaves known as ‘saz’, to flower vases and geometric patterns. Elongated Cyprus trees, considered a trope for a beautiful woman, and teardrop motifs were also introduced into the decorative lexicon. During the middle of the 16th century, a vivid red and emerald green were introduced into the color scheme, further expanding the range of the Iznik artisans.
Privy chamber of Ahmed III in Topkapi Palace.
Notwithstanding the workmanship and attention to detail inherent in the Iznik wares of the 16th century, the Ottoman elite’s continued admiration for Chinese wares meant that the Iznik pottery was never accorded a high status in the court. Decorative tilework, which also flourished during this century, was a different story. Stimulated by huge demand from the court in Istanbul and a burst of royal building, the Iznik artisans began producing wall tiles, featuring a colorful palette and repeating patterns. The tiles that still to this day enliven the walls of the Baghdad Pavilion and Circumcision Room of the Topkapi Palace remain as a testament to the artistry of this period.
The early 1700s marked the end of production at Iznik and its stagnation can be attributed to multiple factors: increasing conflicts of interest between the court and the artists, changing patterns of patronage, and the deterioration of standards brought on by economic hardship. The infamous fire that set the Topkapi Palace kitchens ablaze in 1574 destroyed what would have been the most impressive collection of Iznik pottery ever assembled. Notably, the Sultan’s Chinese blue-and-white porcelain wares – housed in the more protected Treasury rooms – were spared and are on view in the museum’s collection today. The result is that very few examples of intact Iznik pottery from its production heyday survived.
Fortunately, what the Ottomans didn’t prize the Europeans did, and from the late 16th century onwards, Iznik pottery was exported to Europe where it enjoyed widespread appeal. With the advent of the Orientalist period in the 19th century, Ottoman ceramics became highly prized collector’s items, and ateliers producing imitations of Iznik ware sprung up across the Continent from Derby to Florence.
Revitalizing an Ottoman Artform
LEVANT's Paradiso Plate, hand painted in Iznik.
LEVANT's Green Lotus Plate.
Today, the city of Iznik is home to several institutes and ateliers whose mission is to revitalize the production of Iznik. LEVANT is working with one such institution to craft a collection of dinnerware that pays homage to the artistry of past glories while reimagining the designs for contemporary use.
The Green Lotus Dessert Plate.
A lively exchange over pigment, proportions, and motifs between LEVANT, the Iznik atelier, and various museums across Istanbul housing Iznik wares recalls a time when the small town of Iznik effused vitality and artistic expression. Though unlike the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire who looked down upon their Iznik ware, LEVANT’s are designed to be admired – with both the everyday and special occasions in mind. Shop LEVANT's Iznik collection here.
