Maritime Theme on İznik Ceramics

Categoy: Marine in Art
0 Comment
21 August 2012

It is all along uneasy to write the first and the last text. First one could be exciting and the last one may be prevailed by sorrow. As for me I am rowing backwater to the past.

The subject is “Maritime in Art”.

Sea involves a unique life style as well as Art itself. If you do enjoy both then you indeed will be getting on like a house on fire. My seafaring point of view has not transcended oars. Nevertheless curiosity is barely and somewhat a deep sense of mine considering paintings, ceramics and antique materials.

You will now and then come across with my articles. My aim is to share the knowledge I have gained in terms of a conversation. Perhaps we will be introduced a famous painter, and may be we will have a chance to discuss and investigate whether a coastal chart is an imitation presented in auction in London. We will yet never unlink with the sea.

Anon set the sails…

Now I will let a group of crucial ancient objects “composed of blue” take the stage. I have been working on these for 7 years and effort has come up into a book of 700 pages. The topic is The History of İznik Ceramics having a title of The Secrets Under Underglaze. A year ago it came to an end with 450 pages, as for now is 700 pages still does have open-ended.

Let us go through this splendid heritage by Ottomans in conjunction with one of the substantial compositions galleons at sea cultivated on İznik Ceramics.

The historical period to investigate for İznik Ceramics is 200 years of phase between 1480 and 1680.

Until 1585 in especial, workshops for ceramics have been operating under the supervision of Palace and mainly responsible for satisfying the needs of Palace. In accordance with the production plans, Vignette workshops in the Palace dispatch the pattern, supervise each phase of production, assist in recompensing stockpile and ultimately make payment. It is a marked evidence that the Palace does care about these works considering the fact that Sinan the architect has been the Chief Architect in these days and responsible for İznik workshops.

After the defeat in Battle of Leponto in 1571, it has not been effortless and immediate for Ottoman Navy to recover. The duration to assign new Jacks has yet been 10 years in the place of 20.000 foremen and mariners. Due to the commencement of recovery for the navy since the beginning of 1580, the view of İznik Ceramics have turned into a sort of advertisement and objects designed as galleon for the purpose of support and morale.

The main one composed is a galleon or galiot at sea. It seems like they travel around the world stimulated on a cup or such as if it were sailing after mast in open sea. On another object, it seems like the Ottoman Navy is standing by behind the islands or ring reef like behind enemy lines.

You will see fish deep down at sea. Seagulls and clouds in the sky and fascinating to portray that you will spot dragons. Colour range is prosperous. Brushing is so alive. Details out of blue are drawn attention. For instance all sails proceed to “west”. You may see the dollars icon “$” more surprisingly. (Picture 1)

Picture 1: Louvre Museum / Paris

At once I would like to voice we do marginally have an idea of those art and antique heritage.

Since mostly the academicians and researchers unfortunately copy / paste the information instead of working punctiliously since 1950s , incorrect information on some academic works is present to date. If you examine catalogues published by especially some museums and companies of public sale, there is incorrect information within Introductory Information on Object regarding İznik Ceramics. For instance the percentage of faulty information is 80.1% for 106 pieces of İznik Ceramics collection in English Museum.

As for the galleons prescribed previously, I would like to introduce two patterns interpreted untruly.

The first one is dragon presumed to be clouds which is a mistake quite tolerable. That design of multifold in the sky is a style of dragon modified by Chief Actor in Chinese Mythology. (Picture 2) Based on the unique structure and properties of China chinaware in the Palace, that sort of design is typically applied on İznik Tiles and Ceramics.

Picture 2: Musee de la Renaissance / Paris

The second one, which is a mistake intolerable, is a group of islands where the vessels sail around and shelter behind during the seasons of stormy. Muralists and artists have used the colour of “brown” while drawing and painting these figures in order to demonstrate that they are pieces of land as well as using green colour to figure out and emphasize plant cover. (Pictures 3, 4, 5, 6)

Picture 3: Louvre Museum Paris

Picture 4: Special Collection

Picture 5: Victorian & Albert Museum

Picture 6: Collection by Ömer Koç

Some academicians could not literally conceive those facts and hereby supposed the figures to be Clouds. It is really interesting that in a catalogue of exhibition, we do come across with wording saying such that Flower sprigs rising upon the Clouds!