A Samson polychrome pottery mosque lamp, France, 19th century

The Samson factory, established in Montreuil, France, was active in producing copies of Iznik pottery in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Samson specialised in vibrant underglaze-painted wares that blended historical fidelity with the technical expertise of French ceramic artistry.

These mosque lamps are modelled after an original designed for the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (inv. no.131-1885, published in Atasoy and Raby, 1989, pp.244-5, cat.377). Samson versions often adapted classical Ottoman motifs to suit European tastes.