Iznik Dish

An Iznik dish with scalloped rim decorated with a stylised rock and wave border. The centre is decorated with red carnations and blue tulips sprouting from a tuft of grass. Unusually, cobalt blue roots grow from the grass. Similar cobalt blue roots, this time in more obvious palmette form, are seen on a dish in the Musée de la Reinassance, Écouen. (no. E.Cl.8127) dated to ca. 1590.1 Another example of a dish floral decoration with roots is in the Ömer Koç collection, dated ca. 1560–1580.2

The reverse is decorated with alternating tulips and prunus blossoms, with a solid blue glaze to the foot. 

[1] Hitzel, Frédéric, and Mireille Jacotin. Iznik : L’aventure d’une collection. Paris : Réunion des musées nationaux, 2005, p. 160, cat. 178. 
[2] Bilgi, Hulya. The Ömer Koç Iznik Collection. Istanbul: 2015, cat. 85.