Plate

This brilliant plate exemplifies the Ottomans' successful attempt at polychromy, in which a clear white body (tin-glazed earthenware) forms the ground for bright blue, green, and red underglaze motifs. The foliate rim is decorated in a stylized wave pattern ultimately based on a Chinese prototype. Because Ottoman sultans amassed large collections of Chinese ceramics, imported wares naturally influenced local production. The potters of Iznik, however, soon created an original decorative vocabulary. The tulips, pinks, irises, and cypress comprising the center of this dish, for instance, are not found in this combination on Chinese wares.