Name of Object:

Jar

Location:

London, England, United Kingdom

Holding Museum:

Victoria and Albert Museum

About Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Date of Object:

About hegira 856 / AD 1480

Museum Inventory Number:

C.57–1952

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Painted and glazed ceramic.

Dimensions:

Height 24.5 cm, diameter 23.5 cm

Period / Dynasty:

Ottoman

Provenance:

Probably Iznik, Turkey.

Description:

A globular jar on a near-symmetrical foot, with a short neck which curls out at the lip. The body of the jar is decorated with three bands of blue and white underglaze painting. The central and largest band contains prominent arabesques in white on blue, while the narrower bands above and below feature Chinese-inspired floral ornament in blue on white. The neck and foot are decorated with narrower bands which include interlocking strap-work and small circular motifs. There are two blank torus mouldings around the neck.

This jar is a fascinating example of the many artistic influences at work in early Iznik pottery. Its body copies a Chinese shape, and the aesthetic of blue-on-white, also of Chinese inspiration, was in vogue in the Middle East during the AH 9th / AD 15th century. The peony motifs on the body, too, are of Chinese origin. On the other hand, the influence of Ottoman metalwork, particularly silver, is also palpable; it can be seen in details such as the torus mouldings and the arabesques crowding the central register. The use of this sort of arabesque design has its roots in a style of decoration originating at the Ottoman royal scriptorium, possibly from the hand of a single artist whom the sources refer to as 'Baba Naqqash.' Designs on paper associated with Baba Naqqash show traditional Islamic arabesques combined with Chinese elements to form a new and distinctively Ottoman idiom. Since their decoration reflects this development quite closely, this jar and other early Iznik ceramics like it – once called 'Abraham of Kütahya wares' after an unusual ewer in the British Museum – have been dubbed 'Baba Naqqash' ware by scholars.

A globular jar on a near-symmetrical foot, with three bands of blue-and-white decoration. The decoration shows the emergence of a truly Ottoman style out of a mixture of influences including Chinese art and contemporary metalwork. It can be traced to developments in the Ottoman imperial scriptorium.

How date and origin were established:

Comparison with the Ottoman decorative style prevalent during the last years of the reign of Sultan Mehmed II (r. twice, 1444-46 and 1451–81).

How Object was obtained:

Purchased by the Museum in 1952.

How provenance was established:

Iznik was the centre of quality ceramic production during this period.

Selected bibliography:

Arts Council of Great Britain, The Arts of Islam, London, 1976, 265, cat. no. 405.

Atasoy, N., and Raby, J., Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, Istanbul/London, 1989, p.39 (fig. 31), p.47, p.77, p.79, and colour plate 276.

Lane, A., "Ottoman Pottery of Isnik," Ars Orientalis 2, 1957, pp.45–8, pl. 23a.

Citation of this web page:

Barry Wood "Jar" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;uk;Mus02;40;en

Prepared by: Barry WoodBarry Wood

Barry Wood is Curator (Islamic Gallery Project) in the Asian Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He studied history of art at Johns Hopkins University and history of Islamic art and architecture at Harvard University, from where he obtained his Ph.D. in 2002. He has taught at Harvard, Eastern Mediterranean University, the School of Oriental and African Studies, and the Courtauld Institute of Art. He has also worked at the Harvard University Art Museums and the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. He has published on topics ranging from Persian manuscripts to the history of exhibitions.
Copyedited by: Mandi GomezMandi Gomez

Amanda Gomez is a freelance copy-editor and proofreader working in London. She studied Art History and Literature at Essex University (1986–89) and received her MA (Area Studies Africa: Art, Literature, African Thought) from SOAS in 1990. She worked as an editorial assistant for the independent publisher Bellew Publishing (1991–94) and studied at Bookhouse and the London College of Printing on day release. She was publications officer at the Museum of London until 2000 and then took a role at Art Books International, where she worked on projects for independent publishers and arts institutions that included MWNF’s English-language editions of the books series Islamic Art in the Mediterranean. She was part of the editorial team for further MWNF iterations: Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean Virtual Museum and the illustrated volume Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean.

True to its ethos of connecting people through the arts, MWNF has provided Amanda with valuable opportunities for discovery and learning, increased her editorial experience, and connected her with publishers and institutions all over the world. More recently, the projects she has worked on include MWNF’s Sharing History Virtual Museum and Exhibition series, Vitra Design Museum’s Victor Papanek and Objects of Desire, and Haus der Kulturen der Welt’s online publication 2 or 3 Tigers and its volume Race, Nation, Class.

MWNF Working Number: UK2 49