Dish

This dish forms part of a group of Iznik ceramics often referred to as “Damascus ware” because of the similarity of colours produced on ceramics in Syria. Made in the town of Iznik in western Anatolia (modern day Turkey) sometime during the mid-16th century CE, this group is characterized by its less formal, naturalistic arrangement and cooler colour palette, including blue, moss green and manganese purple. This shallow circular dish has curving sides and is decorated along its outer rim with blue Çintamani motifs interspersed with floral sprays; while in its centre, large blue flowers (probably tulips or chrysanthemums) spread over the entire dish, stemming from a star-shaped leafy tuft. The muted colours on this dish might be associated with the master potter Musli and his school, a time that also corresponds to the end of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent's reign (r. 926-974 AH/1520-66 CE). This period is considered to be the height of Iznik production, when new colours and forms were introduced.