Dish with Harpies

The exterior of this large dish is entirely decorated with representations of brightly coloured animals arranged in a circling movement which makes an attractive object.

The unusual size of the dish recalls, with certain variations in its form, a series of large Ottoman vases from the first half of the sixteenth century[1] whose use, according to certain scholars, was connected to the performance of ritual ablutions.

The dish is fritware, a type of paste which established Iznik’s (formerly, Nicaea) reputation; it became the official centre of the production of Ottoman ceramics during the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent (1520-1566). The paste was possibly developed in imitation of Chinese porcelain; the composition being 80% quartz, to which was added powdered lead (10%) and white clay (10%). As the slip layer and the transparent glaze over the painted decoration were also quartz and frit-based, the fired piece attained a brilliance which was admired throughout Europe. Imitations of Ottoman ceramics proliferated in Italy throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries[2].

The decoration is reserved on an emerald green ground and highlights of red and blue serve to accent the motifs. Coloured grounds were used in Iznik from the 1550s, however, they were generally deep blue[3]. Emerald green with red was used in floral decorations in the second half of the sixteenth century and is often associated with animal decorations during the reign of Murad III (r. 1574-1595)[4].

A circle of animals (including, hares, stags, monkeys, cats, dragons and birds) surround the basin; the depiction of harpies facing one another constitutes the only static motif. The bestiary theme was not common in Iznik, although certain pieces depict a single animal[5]. The only early extant example of animal imagery can be found on a small decanter from the middle of the sixteenth[6].  It was not until the reign of Murad III that the bestiary idiom attained the height of its development. The theme presents parallels with hunting imagery which originated in the pre-Islamic world[7] and survived the conquest to be adopted in many branches of the decorative arts. Such imagery also exists on metal objects produced in Ottoman Serbia dating from the sixteenth harpuia (snatcher). These birds with human heads are found in Greek, Egyptian and Indian mythologies. The theme recurs widely in the Islamic arts from eleventh century, particularly in Fatimid Egypt[8] and Seljuk Anatolia[9]. It appears intermittently in Iznik ceramics[10] produced during the reign of Murad III. century century. These objects also accord the same treatment to real and imaginary bestiaries and the sense of movement is omnipresent. Certain subjects are treated identically, such as the crowned monkey depicted on a censer produced in 1526 in Serbia. The theme of harpies derives from classical antiquity. The word comes from the Greek.

Small vegetal elements (tulips, half-palmettes, flowerets and vegetal scrolls) serve as filling motifs, as on several pieces in the same series. Tulips and small five-petalled flowers on the inner decorative border are inspired by the flower style developed in the middle of the sixteenth century in the imperial book workshops. Widely employed in Iznik from the 1550s, it influenced other branches of the decorative arts in the second half of the century, particularly textiles[11]. Its stylistic influence is perceptible on European decorative arts from the seventeenth century[12].

[2] See the production of candiane, illustrated, for example, by a plate with coats of arms, Veneto, Italy, 1633, Sèvres, Musée national de céramique, inv. 4617.

[3] Dish, Iznik, Turkey, Paris, musée du Louvre, inv. 1276.

[4] Dish, Iznik, Turkey, circa 1585, Château d’Écouen, Musée national de la Renaissance, inv. Cl.8357. 

[5] Peacock dish, Iznik, Turkey, 1540-1555, Paris, musée du Louvre, inv. K 3449.

[6] Decanter, fritware, transparent lead glaze over painting on slip, Iznik, Turkey, 1545-1555, London, private collection.

[7] See the hunting scenes of Bahram Gur, Sasanian king.

[8] Bowl with harpy, earthenware with lustre painting on an opaque glaze, Egypt, C thriteenth, London, Victoria and Albert Museum, inv. C 47-1960.

[9] Flat sculpted stone, türbe of Hudavend, Nigde, Turkey, 1312.

[10] Flat dish, fritware, painting on slip under lead glaze, Iznik, Turkey, 1580-1585, Lisbon, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Museum, inv. 774.

[11] Velvet panel, silk with gold and silver thread from the collection of J. Soustiel, Turkey, Bursa or Istanbul, C16th century: large carnations containing large spray of tulips, dog roses, hyacinth and carnations.

[12] Dish with floral motifs and coats of arms, Italy, 1630-1640, Sèvres, Musée national de céramique, inv.19209.