SEVEN CANAKKALE POTTERY ANIMAL FIGURINES, TURKEY, 19TH/EARLY 20TH CENTURY

Between the late seventeenth and early twentieth centuries Canakkale, in Western Turkey, was an important epicentre of ceramic production. The present lot highlights the way local potters used a variety of animal forms to produce decorative liquid containers, contrasting the styles employed elsewhere in Turkey such as Iznik and Kutahya. These ceramics were often produced as souvenirs rather than for everyday use. This can be identified on two ewers in this group which bear the inscription yadigar (souvenir). The embossed rosettes on each of the figurines characterise the decorative repertoire of Canakkale along with the earthy colour scheme.