Tile

Object Details

• Description

  Hexagonal-shaped architectural tile, with blue and white glazes. Decorated with stylized floral designs in two colors of blue glaze.

• Label

  During the early sixteenth century, Iznik ceramic production focused primarily on vessels. With the accession of the Ottoman ruler Sultan Sulayman (reigned 1522–60), and his ambitious building projects throughout the empire, demand for Iznik tiles grew and rivaled that for ceramic objects. The elegant design of this blue-and-white tile, combining full lotus flowers, broken stems, and serrated leaves, finds many parallels in contemporary ink drawings, textiles, and manuscript illumination. By drawing on a distinct body of designs and skillfully adapting these to different media, sixteenth-century Ottoman artists lend their work a recognizable visual unity and artistic identity.

• Provenance

  To 1998

  Axia Art Islamique et Byzantin, London, to 1998 [1]

  From 1998

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Axia Art Islamique et Byzantin in 1998

  Notes:

  [1] According to the seller, the previous owner purchased this object at a public auction in the UK (see Curatorial Note 3 in the object record). See also invoice from Axia Art Islamique et Byzantin, copy in object file, Collections Management Office.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Engaging the Senses (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  Beyond the Legacy--Anniversary Acquisitions of the Freer Gallery of Art (October 11, 1998 to April 11, 1999)

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

• Previous custodian or owner

  Axia Art Islamique et Byzantin

• Origin

  Iznik, Turkey

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Architectural Element

• On View

  Freer Gallery 04: Engaging the Senses

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1520s, 1550s

• Name

  Axia Art Islamique et Byzantin

• Place

  Iznik

• Topic

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

• Culture

  Muslims, Turks

• Object Type

  Architectural elements

• On View

  Yes