Jug with handle in form of dragon and lid

This jug is decorated predominantly in gold and precious stones with vegetal imagery arranged in three zones (the lid, neck, body). It is evidence of the existence of artistic contacts between Turkey, the Iranian civilisation and the Far East. This type of piece, a symbol of opulence, was particularly prized at the Ottoman court. Gold workshops, goldwork being an art practised by sultans Selim I and Süleyman themselves, were located in the first courtyard of the Topkapi Palace itself.

The spherical body rests on a small base. The handle in the form of a dragon is attached to the body as if about to bite the neck; it is surmounted by a domed lid. Probably the oldest extant example of this form originating in Eastern Iranian civilisation (Central Asia) is the white jade jug[1] made for the Timurid Sultan, Ulugh Beg (r. 1447-1449). The form was applied to other media, in Timurid[2], Safavid and Ottoman[3] art from fifteenth to seventeenth centuries and also in Chinese ceramics of the fifteenth century[4].

Little has been documented about the carving of hardstone, practised in the East since the third millennium B.C. Texts on stone cutting and the examination of iconographic documents have revealed some information however[5]. Fatimid art is reputed in the West for its artefacts in rock crystal of which there are many examples in church treasuries[6]. In Iran, the use of hardstone is perhaps closer to the influence of the Far East; the first objects to be produced being in white jade, a stone valued by Chinese emperors for its rarity[7]. The Mogul dynasty of India, allied to the Timurids, also commissioned objects in jade[8]. These jade objects were often presented as diplomatic gifts[9].

Several techniques were used. Inlay, practised in Islamic metalwork since at least the end of the tenth century in Iran[10], was popular in Ottoman art where it was applied to hardstone[11] and other materials, such as Chinese ceramics[12] which were introduced to the Ottoman court from the end of the fifteenth century[13]. On certain objects, such as this jug, gold wire is finely incised and inlaid in light relief. On almost all Ottoman objects, the precious stones are table cut and set in mounts. The openwork of the filter is reminiscent of utilitarian ceramics, such as filters on Fatimid earthenware water jugs[14]. The radial, cursive inscription sets out a verse from the Koran regarding the pure water of the gardens of paradise, which is also evoked by the decorative vegetal motifs.

Enamelling[15] is rare in Ottoman art. Originating in Louristan in the eigth to seventh centuries B.C., the technique survived the Parthian and Sasanian periods, and thereafter the Islamic conquest in regions as varied as Iran, Egypt, Jezireh, Spain and Morocco but it is generally rather rare.

Vegetal motifs are characteristic of jewellery in the reign of Süleyman. Foliage imagery of tiny leaves in incised gold and interspersed with gold flowers containing rubies and amethysts, decorates the entire jug. The motifs are varied: mandorlas on the body; scrolls around the neck and ova on the lid. Mandorla motifs recur in the arts of the book and in textiles, and the scrolls recall the tughra style, which appeared in illuminated manuscripts and Ottoman ceramics in the 1520s and which influenced Italian ceramics.

The tulips, hyacinth and carnations in translucent enamel on the lid belong to the ‘flower’ decorative style which was widely employed in Iznik ceramics from the middle of the 16th century. The trefoil flowers on the base are derived from Antique designs, adopted in Islamic decoration in every period and geographical area.

[2] Jug with dragon handle, Herat, Afghanistan, c. 1480-1490, cast copper alloy, engraved, gold and silver inlays, Paris, musée du Louvre, inv. MAO697.

[3] Jug, Turkey, second half of C16th, cast zinc, chasing, gold, ruby and turquoise inlays, Istanbul, Topkapi Sarayi Müzesi, inv. 2/2842.

[4] White and blue porcelain jug, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province (South China), Ming dynasty, beginning C15th, London, BritishMuseum, inv. OA 1950.4-3.1.

[5] The general form was obtained by roughly hewing the stone with a saw and hammer. A hollow tool was used to remove the inner core and the interior was hollowed out with curved metal rods which rounded the inner walls with an abrasive surface. The use of a drill with an abrasive attached to a wheel allowed the piece to be formed and decoration engraved.

[6] Ewer belonging to al-‘Aziz, Egypt, 975-996, rock crystal with European mounting from C16th, Venice, Italy, Treasury of Saint Mark’s, inv. 80.

[7] Various properties are attributed to jade, such as, protection against poison.

[8] Wine glass, India, 1656-1657, white nephrite, London, VictoriaAlbert Museum. and

[9] Round cup, Mogul art:  jade, silver gilt mount, Paris, musée du Louvre, inv. OA 6618.

[10] Valkin ewer, Iran, end C10th - beginning C11th, Teheran, Gulistan Palace Museum.

[11] Jug, Turkey, C16th, cast zinc, inlaid gold, openwork, chasing, filigree; ruby, emerald, turquoise and pearls, Istanbul, Topkapi Sarayi Müzesi, inv. 2/2873.

[12] Five coffee cups, China, end C16th, Turkey, end C16th, porcelain painted under glaze, incised and inlaid with incised, indented and engraved gold, rubies and emeralds, Istanbul, Topkapi Sarayi Müzesi, inv. 15/2789, 15/2818, 15/2821, 15/2795, 15/2826.

[13] Inventory lists of the imperial treasury from 1496 refer to Chinese ceramics.

[14] Filter of earthenware water jug with inscription, Egypt, C10th - C12th, unglazed ceramic, Peseux, J.-F. Bouvier Collection, inv. IA.

[15] Translucent enamel applied to partially indented gold and engraved to different depths.