2 - Iznik plate (tabak) with tulips and hyacinths

Iznik plate (tabak) with tulips and hyacinths Ottoman Empire, Turkey, Iznik, circa 1575–1600 Siliceous ceramic, decorated with a polychrome underglaze design in cobalt blue, emerald green, turquoise, and tomato red, rendered in slight relief. The central composition, structured along a strict vertical axis, features a bouquet springing from a tuft of grass, the whole surmounted by a medallion with a floral border. The rim is adorned with a design of blue and black spiral volutes known as “foaming waves.” The reverse, with a ring-shaped foot, is adorned with a frieze of small rosettes and bears, in the center, a large triangular label—partly printed and partly handwritten—bearing the monogram C.D.A. (Charles Davillier), the inscription “Vente Davillier 1887,” and the notation “Rhodes.” Condition: two hanging holes (on the wing and the heel), slight chips along the rim, slight shrinkage of the red enamel due to firing. Restored. D. 27.5 cm (10.8 in.) Provenance: Former collection of Baron Jean-Charles Davillier (1823–1883), inv. no. P. 2130; His auction, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, Me Charles Pillet, May 2, 1887, lot no. 401; Aguttes auction, Lyon, October 25, 2012, lot no. 215. Bibliography: Catalog of the Davillier auction, Paris, 1887, lot no. 401. Auctioneers’ Archives. D48E3 74, Minutes of the posthumous sale of Baron Davillier’s estate, Drouot, April 29–30, 1887, Maître Paul Chevallier. Gaston Migeon, *Manuel d’art musulman*, II. The Visual and Industrial Arts, Paris, Picard, 1907 (revision of the “Rhodes” attribution). Related works: - National Museum of Fine Arts, Stockholm, inv. no. NM 0047/1899. - British Museum, London, inv. no. G.128 - Musée de la Renaissance, Ecouen, inv. E.Cl.8211. This platter exemplifies Iznik production in the last third of the 16th century, during the reigns of Selim II, Murad III, and Mehmed III. Its floral decoration, drawn from the repertoire of the imperial workshops at Topkapi—where the “four-flower style” had been codified around 1550—combines naturalism and geometric stylization in a vivid color palette, in which the slightly raised tomato-red glaze is executed with consummate skill. These motifs simultaneously inspired ceramics, textiles, illumination, and book arts in the imperial workshops. It comes from the collection of Baron Jean-Charles Davillier (1823–1883), a collector, member of the Council of National Museums, and author of works on Hispano-Moorish earthenware and Spanish goldsmithing. His auction in Paris in May 1887 included, among other items, Ottoman ceramics then known as “Rhodes faience,” and directly contributed to several French public collections, notably those of the Louvre Museum. The period label preserved on the reverse attests to this former designation, a term that became established after the Cluny Museum acquired, in 1883, a collection of pieces from Lindos. This attribution, corrected in the early 20th century by Otto von Falke and Gaston Migeon, makes this label a historical document of the utmost importance.