Blue-ground Dish with Floral and 'Cintamani' Designs

Unknown

ca. 1570–75 · Stonepaste; colored slip and polychrome painted · Islamic Art

Most Iznik wares were coated with a white slip, or engobe, prior to decoration, and this slip produced the predominant white background against which colored glazes stood out so dramatically. In a small number of wares, pigments were added to the slip, and the resulting backgrounds included a range of pinks, beiges, browns, and blues that were decorated with floral designs or, in this case, an abstract pattern of petals or swirling lobes, perhaps inspired by a metalwork prototype.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1570–75

Medium

Stonepaste; colored slip and polychrome painted

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

The Friends of the Department of Islamic Art Fund, 1970