Ewer, Iznik, Turkey, ca. 1520-1525. Fritware, underglaze painted in cobalt blue, glazed; later silver mounts. Height: 23.8 cm, Width: 15 cm including spout, Depth: 11 cm. Museum number: 349-1897 © V&A Images.

Blue and white rectangular ewer with arabesque designs in a diamond-shaped field, restored in the 19th century with silver mounts including a dragon's-head spout.

Bibliographic References: Nurhan Atasoy and Julian Raby, Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey (London: Alexandria Press, 1989), fig. 126, p. 106. 

In the 1520s Iznik potters stopped using white on a blue ground. This had been the main colour scheme since production started around 1470. Blue decoration on a white ground took its place, and the range of colours was expanded to include turquoise (seen here on the neck). Later black, sage-green and purple were introduced.