Exceptionnelle lampe de mosquée d'Iznik du groupe dit "du Maître des lotus", Turquie, art ottoman, vers 1510

en céramique siliceuse à décor peint en deux nuances de bleu sur un fond d'engobe blanc sous une glaçure plombifère transparente, décor organisé en trois registres, un large bandeau meublé de lotus exubérants sur un fond de rinceaux floraux, bordé par deux frises d'hexagones striés, munie de trois petites anses, et d'une chaîne en cuivre doré (tombak), à décor gravé; le fond et la partie supérieure manquants, trous, deux fractures recollées, accident avec un manque sur la bordure supérieure

French Private Collection.

 

The foot and the neck missing there is an accident on the top border with chips there are eight holes on the body two breaks repaired tiny scratches to enamel mainly on the small handles the bottom consolidated with a brass strip tombak entirely original
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In the Muslim world the mosque lamps symbolise the divine light and therefore has been considered as an important element in the worship places. Most of the Ottoman pottery lamps were commissioned by the imperial court, the Sultan or members from his family, to be placed in mosques and tomb chambers.

This lamp is an iconic Iznik work of art: indeed it belongs to an extremely rare group commissioned by Sultan Selim I^st (1512-1520) probably intended to the tomb chamber of Sultan Bayezid II (dead in 1512) and therefore datable circa 1510. Only five other examples are recorded today: four in the Çinili Kösk (Istanbul) and one in the British Museum (see: ATASOY, N. & RABY, J., Iznik. La poterie en Turquie Ottomane, 1998, p.98-99, ill.105-109). The lamp we are offering appears to be the sixth and then can be considered as an exceptional discovery.

The sturdy design with the narrow waist and a broad flared neck, features visible on our lamp even if the neck is missing, echoes the contemporaneous and earlier metalwork. The geometric pattern on the shoulder and the bottom border is also to match up with metalwork of the early 16^th century (see: Ibid, p.98, ill.110). A further comparison could be outlined with the Mamluk glass mosque lamps, one from the first half 14^th century has a notably similar body is in the British Museum (inv. G. 497).

The five lamps quoted above and ours have a stylized lotus flower decoration on the body. Our lamp is particularly close to two others in the Çinili Kösk: while the lotus flowers are comparable to inv. 41/6, the two bands of stiff lappets on the top and bottom borders are identical to inv. 41/5. This specific floral pattern can be seen on other pieces as a jar in the British Museum (inv. G. 1983.6) and another one in Alessandro Bruschettini Foundation in Genoa (both illustrated in: Ibid, ill.297-298). Furthermore, the same lotus composition is on the reverse of a footed basin in the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Museum, inv. 211 (see: Ibid, ill.292) as well as the drawing on the reverse of a dish dated to circa 1500-1510 in the Freer Gallery with lotus forms and scrolls to be compared to this group (see: ATIL, E., Ceramic from the World of Islam, Washington D.C., 1973, no.79, pp.172-173).

Julian Raby identified these pieces with different versions of lotus flowers as the "Master of Lotus" group. Stylistically, the lotus pattern appears in a transition period before the 1520's probably linked to the evolution of the decoration used in manuscripts and textiles from the same period or may be simply a specific development to the ceramic production. These elements are now synthesized into a new and original style expressing Ottoman sensitivity and taste.

The Chinese influence could also add an explanation for the composition combining the geometrical lappets on the shoulder and the base with the lotus flowers on the body. Indeed attention can be drawn to a blue and white porcelain lotus design tankard from the Xuande period (1426-1435) in the Qing court collection with a very similar composition (see: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White and Underglazed Red (I), Hong Kong, 2000, pl.121). Another comparable tankard was sold in these rooms (Arts d'Asie, 16^th December 2010, lot 33).

Unlike the glass lamps, the function of the early 16^th century Iznik pottery lamps was symbolic rather than a source of light. It has been suggested that they were also used as an acoustic device; hung near the place where prayers were read, helping dampen the echo by allowing the voice of the reader to bounce off them.