Plate

Object Details

• Description

  Pomegranates and hyacinths in light blue, purple and white on dark blue ground, on the inside; and of 2 tulips alternating with a zinnia in light and dark blue on white ground on outside wall. Small area along the upper right edge lost and replaced by painted plaster, nicks along edge; two holes in ringfoot for suspension.

• Label

  This plate is representative of one type of underglaze-painted ceramic produced in Iznik during the sixteenth century. The earliest type was blue-and-white ware decorated in the center with floral scrolls and on the rim with wave and foam patterns. Such motifs emulate designs on Chinese porcelains, which had become extremely popular at the Ottoman court. By mid-century, the palette of Iznik ceramics had expanded to include turquoise, green, purple, and a unique tomato red. The decorative repertoire also grew, and recognizable species of flora and fauna were commonly depicted.

• Provenance

  Likely by 1877-1913

  Likely Edouard Aynard, method of acquisition unknown [1]

  1913

  Likely sold at auction, Paris, Galerie George Petit, “Tableaux Anciens, Tableaux Modernes, Dessins & Pastels, Objects d’Art de Haute Curiosité et d’Ameublement, Composant la Collection de feu M. Édouard Aynard,” December 1-4 Decembre, 1913, lot 116 [2]

  By 1962-1963

  C. Dikran Kelekian, New York, method of acquisition unknown [3]

  From 1963

  National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, purchased from C. Dikran Kelekian, New York [4]

  Notes:

  [1] See object file for copy of C. Dikran Kelekian invoice to Freer Gallery of Art, dated July 19, 1963 and approved by the Secretary of the Smithsonian on April 10, 1963. Identified as no. T-443 and described as “Damascus flat plate – floral design on deep blue ground – Turkish XVI Cent. This plate comes from the Aynard Collection and was exhibited in Lyon in 1877 and 1894.” In 1877, Édouard Aynard loaned objects to the “Exposition Rétrospective de Lyon” at the Palais du Commerce. Included in this loan were catalog numbers 1039-1071, “Collection de plats ronds,à bords, étroits, festonnés ou filigranés.” In 1894, Aynard again loaned objects for exhibition, this time for the “Exposition de Lyon Universelle, International et Coloniale.”

  Edouard Aynard (1837-1913) was a French banker, politician and art collector. Aynard succeeded his father as head of the family banking enterprise and also engaged in political activities. In 1871 he established the liberal "Journal de Lyon;" eventually he was head of the local Chamber of Commerce in Lyon. In 1902 he was elevated to the Institute de France. His collection centered primarily on art of the Middle Ages. Following his death, Galerie George Petit in Paris sold his collection in December 1913.

  [2] See object file for copy of Galerie George Petit “Tableaux Anciens, Tableaux Modernes, Dessins & Pastels, Objects d’Art de Haute Curiosité et d’Ameublement, Composant la Collection de feu M. Édouard Aynard,” December 1-4 Decembre, 1913, lot 116. Described as “Plat creux en ancienne faïence de Damas à fond bleu foncé,” diameter 31 centimeters. See also note 1.

  [3] See object file for copy of Freer Gallery of vault record no. V130.62, indicating Charles Kelekian left the object for examination at the Freer on September 24, 1962. See also note 1. Charles Dikran Kelekian (1899 - 1982) was the son of Dikran Garabed Kelekian (1868-1951), the Turkish-born art dealer who had founded the family's antiquities business in the United States in 1893. Charles D. Kelekian was born in Marseilles, France, and was educated in France. He joined his father in the business in 1919, and over the next two decades the two shuttled between the galleries they maintained in New York and Paris. Over the years, the Kelekians sold major works to most of the leading museums. This work is part of the Museum’s Freer Gallery of Art Collection.

  [4] See note 1.

  Research updated November 20, 2023

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Engaging the Senses (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016)

  Turkish Art (May 26, 1982 to June 24, 1982)

  Turkish Ceramics (September 24, 1982 to May 10, 1985)

  Turkish Art (November 1, 1980 to May 25, 1982)

  Art of the Near East (August 21, 1977 to December 14, 1979)

  Ceramics from the World of Islam (January 16, 1974 to July 1, 1974)

  Turkish Art—Special Exhibition (August 1 to December 19, 1973)

  Near Eastern Art—Paintings, Pottery (August 18, 1967 to February 10, 1972)

  Near Eastern Art (June 5, 1964 to August 18, 1967)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Edouard Aynard (1837 - 1913)

  C. Dikran Kelekian (1900-1982)

• Origin

  Iznik, Turkey

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1530s

• Name

  Aynard, Edouard, Kelekian, C. Dikran

• Place

  Iznik

• Topic

  Iznik ware, Art, Ottoman period (1307 - 1922), Arts of the Islamic World, Stone-paste, Ceramics, Flowers

• Culture

  Muslims, Turks

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)