Plate with Tulips

Perhaps best known among the ceramics produced in the Ottoman Empire are those made in İznik, a town southeast of Istanbul (in present-day Turkey). The artists working in İznik produced dishware for eating and serving, vessels like jugs and tankards, as well as tiles that adorned the walls of buildings. In addition to the hard, white clay body and the crystal-clear glaze, a characteristic feature of İznik ceramics is the color palette of a bright orange-red among shades of blue and green in the underglaze decoration. Certain flowers—mainly tulips, carnations, roses, and hyacinths—appear across various media in Ottoman art, as exemplified the dark blue tulips with elongated petals on this plate.