Iznik 'Quatre Fleurs' Dish

Carnations and tulips dominate the composition of this dish produced by the potters of Iznik in early Ottoman Turkey. Later Iznik pottery was celebrated for the raised red pigment seen here, often compared to the colour of sealing wax, which was invented in the middle of the 16th century CE. The palette on this plate is further enriched by a strong grass green and cobalt blue painted under the glaze on a clear and even white ground. Flowers were a popular subject for Iznik pottery, recalling the Ottoman enthusiasm for gardening and flower cultivation. The potter who fashioned this particular dish was clever in his approach to the composition, depicting four of the carnations with broken stems so that they sweep back towards the centre and fill out the circular space. Although constrained artificially within the circle, the resulting naturalism is effective and is enhanced by the realism of the carnation flowers. The small tulips and other flowers, on the other hand, are more stylised. Sprays of flowers such as this, known as quatre-fleurs – roses, hyacinths, carnations and tulips - were a popular motif in the latter half of the 16th century CE.