Gilded Dish with Flowers and Leaves, c. 1590, Turkey, Iznik, Ottoman period (1299–1922). Fritware with red slip, underglaze design, and overglaze gilding. Diameter: 29.8 cm; Overall: 6.6 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust, 1915.663.

Turkish potters developed the red color with a clay slip rich in iron.
This floral design highlights the rich red, the most difficult to achieve in ceramics, that was developed by Turkish potters. The design is divided with a central swaying saz leaf, with red roses, blue hyacinths, and other floral elements enhanced with glittering gold, a feature that rarely survives. The rim displays a simplified “rock and wave” design adopted from Chinese ceramics which were abundant in the imperial Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.