Lot 115. A rimless Iznik pottery 'grape' dish, Ottoman Turkey, circa 1565; 13 1/8in. (33.5cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 20,000 - GBP 30,000. Price realised GBP 37,500. Courtesy Sotheby's.
With curving sides on short foot, the white interior decorated in cobalt-blue and green with a central roundel comprising three large bunches of grapes amongst spiralling tendrils and scalloped leaves, the wide cavetto with scrolling floral vines and leaves, the exterior with a similar scrolling design.
Note: The distinctive grape design on this dish derives from early Ming ceramics produced in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. From the late 1520s Iznik potters began to imitate Chinese porcelains, and of all the Chinese prototypes that existed in the Topkapi Palace collections and were copied by the potters at Iznik, it was the grape design that proved the most popular.
The Ottomans developed the palette of the original Chinese blue-and-white dishes by adding highlights of green in the leaves and borders. However, by the second half of the 16th century, where most Iznik ceramic designs were done on a body with an everted rim, most grape dishes were produced with a rimless form, remaining faithful to their Chinese models.
Variations of this elegant grape design are found in a number of international museum collections. A rimless dish closely comparable to the present lot is in the Freer Gallery of Art (acc.no. F1970.25). Another is in the collection of Lady Barlow, Cambridge (Atasoy and Raby, pp.198-99, no.717).
Sotheby's. Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds Including Oriental Rugs and Carpets, 28 October 2020
