Saz Leaves and Floral Cartouches

Turkey (Iznik), circa 1580

Height: 24.6 cm
Width: 24.6 cm

An underglaze-painted polychrome tile in hues of cobalt blue, turquoise, emerald green and sealing wax red against a crisp white ground and depicting styled floral cartouches and sprays connected by curved flowering stems.

To the centre of the field are a pair of large saz leaf cartouches, each filled with stylised five-petalled rosette sprays with raised red buds. The saz leaves overlap each other creating a sense of depth. One serrated leaf with an emerald green ground hangs down from its broken cobalt stem whilst the other turquoise leaf bends over at the tip, revealing its underside where a flash of red and white can be seen. To each corner of the tile are further stylised floral designs. To the top left and bottom right are parts of spotted cobalt floral cartouches with serrated leaves and rosette sprays. The top right corner depicts a vibrant turquoise lotus spray filled with white and sealing wax red leaves whilst to the bottom left is part of a turquoise cartouche filled with floral sprays. A slither of a spotted cobalt spray can also be seen to the left edge. The curving stems fill the remaining ground, painted in two shades of cobalt and with small flower and leaf sprays. The broken stem and flipped tip of the saz leaf give the scene a greater element of individuality and character.

For similar tiles, see The Victoria and Albert Museum, accession number 696C-1883, The Louvre Museum, inventory number OA 7457 bis 17 and two examples published in Hülya Bilgi, IZNIK The Ömer Koç Collection, 2015, pp. 208-211.

Provenance:

Private Collection, London
Acquired Christie’s London, 8 October 2015, lot 82
Previously in a Greek private collection since 1960s
The label on the reverse states that this panel was displayed in the owner’s dining room: “Επάνω ἀπό την βιτρίνα [τ]τραπεζαρίαν” (In the dining room, above the showcase).