AN IZNIK POTTERY RIMLESS ‘GRAPE’ DISH, TURKEY, CIRCA 1570-80 |

painted in shades of cobalt blue and dark green with a central roundel containing three large bunches of grapes within spiralling tendrils issuing fleshy leaves, cavetto with stylised palmettes and geometric border, the underside with collection label

Two breaks in edge with associated restoration, including overpainting, hairline crack in glaze through grapes, four drill holes in foot, one now broken, another that set off a hairline crack, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Iznik grape dishes tell an interesting story about the cross-cultural pollination between Chinese and Ottoman art. Yuan (1279-1368) and Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) blue and white porcelain became particularly desirable at the Ottoman court, inspiring craftsmen to produce imitations, or rather, their own variations of this popular model. The important number of Chinese blue and white ceramic examples held in the Topkapi Palace testify to this fashion (see R. Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Museum, Istanbul, vol.II, London, 1986, nos.605-6). Iznik potters may have seen these pieces directly or certainly had access to drawings or pounce designs which they assimilated into their own visual vocabulary. The present grape dish belongs to the second wave of grape dish design, in which the potters seem to emancipate themselves, removing the Yuan period breaking-wave border and introducing a new colour - deep green.

As the grape represented a popular subject, we are fortunate that a number of examples have survived and are in museums, institutions and private collections worldwide, displaying the diversity of designs used in the rendering of the grapes, vines and borders, although grape dishes with cavetto designs such as this are rarer. For a discussion on these, see Atasoy and Raby 1989, pp.121-4, cat. nos.189-192. 

Comparable rimless examples, some with touches of green, can be seen at the Çinili Köşk, Istanbul (inv. no.41/24) the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv. no.52.1.18), Omer Koc Collection (Bilgi 2009, cat. nos.163 and 164).

This lively synthesis of decorative elements from different periods and sources, matched by technical innovations such as an increasing range of colours fired under the glaze, is indicative of the bold experimentation found in early Iznik ware, of which this is an outstanding example.