Plate

Object Details

• Provenance

  By 1970

  Stuart Cary Welch (1928-2008), method of acquisition unknown [1]

  From 1970

  National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, purchased from Stuart Cary Welch [2]

  Notes:

  [1] See object file for copy of list of objects submitted to the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution and the Commission of Fine Arts, for examination. Marked approved by the Secretary of the Smithsonian on January 30, 1970, object number 8 is described as “Turkish pottery dish; Iznik (16th century); grape design; wave pattern on foliate rim. V5.70; K-8.” It is one of two objects which were offered by Stuart Cary Welch to the Smithsonian.

  Stuart Cary Welch was a scholar, connoisseur, and collector of Islamic and Indian art, and his wife Edith Iselin Welch (1931-2009) shared his passion for art and collecting. Cary Welch had a lifelong professional affiliation with Harvard Art Museums, and as a professor at Harvard University until his retirement in 1995. In 2011, Sotheby’s London held a two-part sale of Welch’s collection, followed by “The Edith and Stuart Cary Welch Collection” sale in 2023.

  [2] See object file for copy of “List of Objects Contemplated for Purchase by the Freer Gallery of Art” and marked approved by the Secretary of the Smithsonian January 30, 1970. Object number 8, page 2, is described as “1 Turkish pottery dish; Iznik (16th century); grape design; foliate rim. V5.70; K-8.” See also note 1. This work is part of the Museum’s Freer Gallery of Art Collection.

  Research updated November 21, 2023

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Engaging the Senses (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  Iraq and China: Ceramics, Trade, and Innovation (December 4, 2004 to July 17, 2005)

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

  Crosscurrents in Chinese and Islamic Ceramics (March 1, 1996 to July 1, 1997)

  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)

  A Decade of Discovery: Selected Acquisitions 1970-1980 (November 9, 1979 to May 22, 1980)

  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)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Stuart Cary Welch (1928-2008)

• Origin

  Iznik, Turkey

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• On View

  Freer Gallery 04: Engaging the Senses

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1530s, 1520s

• Name

  Welch, Stuart Cary

• Place

  Iznik

• Topic

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

• Culture

  Muslims, Turks

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)

• On View

  Yes