AN IZNIK POTTERY TILE
Ottoman Turkey, ca. 1570 - 1580

Of rectangular shape, painted in bole red in relief, cobalt blue, and copper green, on milky white ground and with subtle black outlines, the centre featuring a poly-lobed cartouche (resembling a rosette) with a bole red border filled with rosettes and serrated-edge saz leaves spraying from a central larger rosette, to the corners a green ground surrounding the cartouche with floral cusped arabesques, encased within a later wooden frame, 31cm x 27cm including the frame.

According to Watson, the precise dating of Iznik wares becomes problematic in the second half of the 16th century, as designs had a long life, especially the ones featuring floral and arabesque decorations (O. Watson, Ceramics from Islamic Lands, 2004, p. 438). The predilection for symmetrical arrangements and neat designs appears to be a common characteristic of the Iznik pottery production fostered under Murad III's reign (r. 1574 - 1595). Two comparable tiles presenting a similar arrangement, design and palette were sold at Sotheby's London, 24 April 2012, lot 145; and Bonhams London, 18 June 2019, lot 19.