Unknown Maker, Turkish

Potters in Iznik, Turkey, admired Chinese porcelain but worked in fritware, an entirely different ceramic body which provided a bright white ground suitable for elaborate underglaze decoration. The four-color design on this plate merges Chinese motifs such as the wave-and-scroll pattern with depictions of native Turkish plants-tulips, carnations, and hyacinths. The serrated saz (reed pen) dominating the middle of the plate and the surrounding blossoms reflect the influence of pen drawing as practiced by painters for the Ottoman court on Iznik ceramic designs.