Complete Description
De forme hémisphérique à hauts bords, sur pied droit et court, à couvercle bombé orné d’un bouton de préhension, à décor d’engobe et glaçures polychromes sous glaçure transparente incolore, le bol peint d’un grand rinceau de grosses fleurs, sur fond décoré de poissons et palmettes stylisées entre deux bandeaux stylisés, peints en bleu cobalt, le couvercle au décor spiralant de grandes palmettes et de poissons, lui aussi entre deux bandeaux peints en cobalt, le bol et le couvercle avec des marques de potiers différentes, peut-être associés malgré la similarité du décor, quelques anciennes restaurations, mais bon état général et bel éclat de la glaçure.
Dim. : 21 cm (diam.) ; 20 cm (hauteur totale)
This bowl, of exquisite quality of execution, is a perfect example of the production of the Kütahya kilns at their peak. Indeed, in the eighteenth century, Kütahya, a town in western Turkey, became a major centre of ceramic production, renowned for its exceptional quality. Although production there is attested from antiquity, the earliest documented evidence dates to the fifteenth century. The town was home to a significant Armenian population specialised in ceramics, alongside Muslim and Christian artisans.
When the İznik kilns struggled to meet court demand towards the end of the seventeenth century, Kütahya took over, and production intensified after the closure of the İznik workshops around 1718–19. The kilns produced tiles for architectural revetments, while there was also strong demand for domestic ware, both for local use and export. They produced a wide variety of forms, from large covered bowls such as the present example, to small cups, dishes, lidded vessels, bottles, and more. Several fine examples are included in this sale (lots 374 to 378).
The distinctive aesthetic of Kütahya is characterised by bright colours and exotic floral motifs painted on a white paste under a glossy glaze, of which this bowl is an excellent example. It fits entirely within production from the first half of the eighteenth century, particularly c. 1725–50 (see bowls in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, inv. 48-1732, very similar to ours; the Louvre, Paris, inv. OA 3925; and the British Museum, London, inv. 1949,1115.13).
The motifs were initially inspired by İznik models, before incorporating Christian iconography, Rococo style, chinoiserie, and other influences. The repeated fish motif on this bowl derives from the Christian repertoire: a bowl decorated with a fish in a net and a long Armenian inscription dated 1744 is in the Monastery of San Lazzaro in Venice (inv. 76; see Hülya Bilgi, Sadberk Hanım Museum Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics Collection, Istanbul, 2018, no. 59, p. 79). A jug painted in a technique identical to that of our dish, decorated with fish, is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (inv. 566-1905), and can be dated to circa 1740–45.
See also other high-quality examples similar to this bowl, sold at Christie’s, London, 27 April 2023, lot 151; Sotheby’s, London, 23 October 2019, lot 283; and 25 October 2023, lot 95.
