Name of Object:

Footed bowl

Location:

London, England, United Kingdom

Holding Museum:

The British Museum

 About The British Museum, London

Date of Object:

About hegira 951–956 / AD 1545–50

Museum Inventory Number:

G.66

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Stone-paste ceramic with blue, turquoise and olive-green painting under the glaze.

Dimensions:

Height 27.3 cm, diameter 42 cm

Period / Dynasty:

Ottoman

Provenance:

Iznik, Turkey.

Description:

A large, footed bowl made of stone-paste ceramic and painted under the glaze with an array of leaves and floral devices. The colours used are manganese, sage-green, blue, and black. Around the outside is the serrated edged so-called saz leaf, an imaginary form that becomes popular on Iznik ceramics during the AH 930s to 50s / AD 1530s to 50s. Inside is a striking geometric arrangement of medallions containing cloud scrolls, enclosed between sprays of blue bells. This splendid bowl, with its bold painted design, was probably made for the Imperial court, perhaps for washing the feet of Suleyman the Magnificent himself (r. AH 926–73 / AD 1520–66).
This footed bowl exemplifies a type of ceramic produced during the 930s to 50s / 1530s to 50s, known collectively as one of the ‘Damascus’ group, as it was once thought to originate there. It has since been proven that the Damascus variety originated from Iznik designs, characterised in particular by the introduction of certain colours – olive-green, black and manganese purple – and the appearance of the so-called saz leaf and fantastical flowers.

View Short Description

Such a splendid footed bowl almost certainly belonged to the royal court, perhaps for storing water to wash Süleyman the Magnificent himself. Due to the sage-green, manganese, blue and black underglaze decoration of saz leaves and fantastical flowers, this bowl is grouped with so-called Damascus wares.

How date and origin were established:

A mosque lamp in the British Museum dated 955 (1549) provides the key to dating both this bowl and all other vessels employing a similar colour scheme and using such motifs as the cloud scroll. Another fixed point is a group of tiles both in the Yeni Kaplica hammam (baths) in Bursa dated 959–60 (1552–3), and in the Ibrahim Pasha Mosque in Istanbul, built in 956 (1550). These tiles have the same colours and decorative motifs as the 'Damascus' group of ceramic objects, such as this bowl.

How Object was obtained:

Part of the Godman Bequest of 1983.

How provenance was established:

Iznik in Turkey was the main centre of production for underglaze painted ceramics of this style and colour, and using this technique, during the Ottoman period.

Selected bibliography:

Atasoy, N., and Raby, J., Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, London, 1989, cat. no. 96.

Carswell, J., Iznik Pottery, London, 1998, p.54–5 (for a similar bowl in the British Museum).

Roxburgh, D.J., (ed.) Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600–1600, London, 2005, p.331, p.454.

Citation of this web page:

Emily Shovelton "Footed bowl" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;uk;Mus01;40;en

Prepared by: Emily Shovelton
Copyedited by: Mandi Gomez


MWNF Working Number: UK1 56