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Ottoman İznik Ceramic Technology

Type Object Region West Asia Time 1450–1700

İznik ceramic technology arose in the mid-15th century in the Ottoman city of İznik, centered on a high-tin white ground glaze combined with cobalt b…

Timeline

  1. 1450–1500İznik · AnatoliaAfter Mehmed II's conquest of Constantinople, demand for high-quality ceramics surged at the Ottoman court; İznik craftsmen, influenced by Chinese blue-and-white porcelain, began firing blue-and-white glazed earthenware, forming a distinctive high-tin white ground glaze technique.
  2. 1550–1620İznik · AnatoliaIn the mid-16th century İznik kilns successfully developed a vivid Armenian bole red glaze, which together with emerald green and black formed a four-color system; the products were used extensively in tile decoration of major Ottoman buildings such as Topkapı Palace.
  3. 1620–1700İznik · AnatoliaIn the 17th century, as Ottoman economic pressures increased and court orders declined, İznik kiln output and quality steadily fell, ceasing production by the end of the century; the distinctive polychrome glaze tradition was essentially interrupted.

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