İznik Pottery: The Dance of Blue and White
A journey to the magical world of İznik pottery, one of the most important heritages of traditional Turkish art
Iznik Tiles from the Tomb of Hatice Turhan Sultan (17th Century)The Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
The pottery produced in İznik from the middle of the 14th century to the end of the 17th century are called “İznik Pottery.
Unique pottery has been produced in İznik from the 15th century onwards. The golden age of the art form was in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Censer, (İznik, 16th Century), Istanbul Archaeological Museums Çinili KöşkThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Blue, turquoise, green and red stand out as the most commonly used colors.
Between the 15th and 17th centuries, tiles produced in İznik were used as important decorative elements in Ottoman architecture. Production improved greatly in this period.
Plate, İznik Milet Style, 15th Century (Iznik Museum)The Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
İznik pottery is produced from red or white dough. Red dough ceramics are decorated using three different techniques and styles known as sgraffito, slip and milet.
Plate, İznik Milet Style, 15th Century, (Iznik Museum)The Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Since the 14th century, these techniques were generally used to produce ceramics for daily use. White primed, blue-white decorated group that is known as milet was at its prime in the 15th century.
Plate, Iznik Haliç Style, early 1500s (Iznik Museum)The Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Towards the end of the 15th century, transparent colorless glazed ceramics produced from thin white dough appeared. Initially, pottery masters produced blue-white vessels decorated with flowers, curved branches, and rumi and palmette motifs.
A group of blue and white ceramics were decorated with a technique called "Golden Horn" which is a misnomer. Golden Horn motifs have a helicoidal structure.
Iznik Tile Panel from the Tomb of Rüstem Paşa (16th Century)The Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
In the middle of the 16th century, emerald green and coral red was used alongside blue-white decoration. This red color, which spontaneously swells under transparent glaze, became the characteristic of the 16th century pottery. The use of flowers such as roses, tulips, cloves and hyacinths has become widespread.
Iznik Tile Panel from the Tomb of Hürrem Sultan (16th Century)The Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
During this period, in addition to ceramics, tiles were produced in İznik workshops for religious and civil architecture. These were decorated with patterns designed by palace caligraphers.
Corner Border, Rodos Style, 17th Century (İznik Museum)The Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
From the 17th century onwards, the red color (a distinct feature of pottery produced in İznik) was increasingly replaced with brown. Contour lines started to get thicker, and the glaze quality started to deteriorate.
Censer, (İznik,1515-1520), Istanbul Archaeological Museums, Çinili KöşkThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Economic difficulties and an increase in the number of imported Chinese porcelains accelerated the decline in quality. In the early 18th century, pottery production in İznik ended.
Çini ParçasıThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Visit the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum to explore the fascinating arts and crafts collection.
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