Name of Object:

Dish (tondino)

Location:

London, England, United Kingdom

Holding Museum:

Victoria and Albert Museum

 About Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Date of Object:

About hegira 941–951 / AD 1535–45

Museum Inventory Number:

C.2011–1910

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Painted and glazed ceramic.

Dimensions:

Height 4.9 cm, diameter 26.6 cm

Period / Dynasty:

Ottoman

Provenance:

Iznik, Turkey.

Description:

A dish in the Italianate form known as tondino, with a narrow, deep well and a wide rim, decorated in two shades of blue on a white ground. The centre of the bowl features a medallion with a 'bouquet' of five flowers growing from a small mound. This pattern is repeated around the rim, in round spaces created by triangle-like indentations in dark blue; these spaces are linked by six-pointed stars at their intersections. Although the bouquet pattern is repeated, a close look reveals that no stencil was used – the artist drew the pattern freehand each time. This dish is one of a group of wares thought to represent a point in the history of Iznik pottery when the potters themselves, rather than painters, took over the decoration of the ceramics. This may have been a reaction to falling demand from the Ottoman court; by applying the designs themselves, the potters could lower the prices of the objects, and thus sell them to a broader market. The result of this change of approach was a simpler, more spontaneous style than the studied and meticulous designs found on previous Iznik wares. While the 'Potters'' style did not last long, giving way during the decade AH 950 / AD 1540 to the nascent classical Iznik aesthetic of brilliant polychrome floral designs, it does represent an important moment in the history of Ottoman ceramics.

View Short Description

A dish in the Italianate form known as tondino, with decoration based on a repeating pattern of a bouquet of five flowers. This dish is one of a group of wares thought to represent a time when the potters themselves, rather than painters, took over the decoration of Iznik ceramics.

How date and origin were established:

Stylistic comparison (see description).

How Object was obtained:

Bequest of George Salting in 1910.

How provenance was established:

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

Selected bibliography:

Atasoy, N., and Raby, J., Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, Istanbul/London, 1989, p.118, fig. 154.

Lane, A., Later Islamic Pottery: Persia, Syria, Egypt, Turkey, London, 1957, pp.51–2 and plate 30A.

Citation of this web page:

Barry Wood "Dish (tondino)" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;uk;Mus02;48;en

Prepared by: Barry Wood
Copyedited by: Mandi Gomez


MWNF Working Number: UK2 61