by Norman A. Rubin

Created on: February 19, 2009

In the sixteenth century, three Islamic empires were established in Western Asia and India. The oldest and largest of these empires was the Ottoman Turkish Empire, which had begun its expansion at the end of the thirteenth century.

The Ottoman Empire was a multinational entity whose cosmopolitan and polyglot court attracted artists and artisans under the patronage of the sultans. Working in the productive atmosphere of the court, they fashioned a new imperial style based on the legacy of the past. The court style, which had already been established in the time of Mehmet the Conqueror (1451-1481) runs as a theme through various arts forms, including pottery.

The center of pottery production eventually shifted to the city of Iznik, though court archives indicate that there still remained pottery studios in the capital city of Istanbul. For this reason, it is customary to use the name Iznik to designate all glazed pottery dating from the Ottoman period. Iznik pottery, one of the Ottomani decorative arts, demonstrate momentum and breathtaking beauty despite its simple materials; clay decorated with lead under glazed pigments.

"The celebrated 'RUM' tableware of Iznik is more delightful than that of China and even more beautiful."

(Badr al-din-Ghazi, Arab wayfarer, 1530)

During the Byzantine era the pottery of Iznik was similar to the other pottery of Anatolia, but after the Turkish conquest it developed its own distinctive style. Blue and white plates, bowls, vases, and lamps and other items were made in Iznik in the fifteenth century, with floral designs. Moreover production expanded greatly as the pottery workshops were turned into imperial tile manufacturing for the many grandiose palaces and monumental buildings.

COLOR AND DESIGN

In September 1514, after the decisive victory of the Ottoman army over the Safavid rulers in the Battle of Caldran, many Persian artists and artisans flocked to Istanbul and joined the imperial workshops (nakkashane - Turkish). There they established the ancient Turkish style of 'Saz' (enchanted forest - early Turkish), a style of composed of flowers arranged on delicate tendrils burgeoning with long serrated leaves. 'Saz' patterns were traced on paper and transferred to textiles and ceramics, produced in the imperial court workshops in Instanbul.

The style changed with the incorporation of floral Arabesques outlined on a cobalt-blue background intertwined with calligraphic ornamentation. Other designs began to emerge on the tiles and other

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