Porcelain bottle, mounted with silver, gold, and gemstones
Bottle: China; c. 1550. Mounts: Turkey; 1550-1600
H: 15.5 cm
Inventory number 39/1997
When mention is made of ceramics from the Ottoman Empire, most people think of the colorful ware from Iznik. The Ottoman sultans, however, used only the far more costly porcelain imported from China. The sultans’ collection of porcelain from the 15th-17th century that is kept in the Topkapi Palace is in fact one of the world’s largest.
This Chinese porcelain bottle decorated in blue from around 1550 was transformed with silver mounts into a rosewater sprinkler and was further decorated with gold and gemstones by Turkish goldsmiths. Similar Ottoman mounts are also found on a little group of porcelain pieces in Topkapi.
This Chinese porcelain bottle decorated in blue from around 1550 was transformed with silver mounts into a rosewater sprinkler and was further decorated with gold and gemstones by Turkish goldsmiths. Similar Ottoman mounts are also found on a little group of porcelain pieces in Topkapi.
Published in
Published in
Sotheby’s, London, 25/4-1996, lot 95;
Sotheby’s, London, 17/10-1997, lot 121;
Kjeld von Folsach: Art from the World of Islam in The David Collection, Copenhagen 2001, cat.no. 533;
Joachim Meyer: Sensual Delights: Incense Burners and Rosewater Sprinklers from the World of Islam, The David Collection, Copenhagen 2015, cat.no. 28;
Luisa Vinhais and Jorge Welsh (eds.): Noble blue: the enduring appeal of blue ground Chinese porcelain, Jorge Welsh, London 2023, p. 43 and 44, fig. 24;
Sotheby’s, London, 17/10-1997, lot 121;
Kjeld von Folsach: Art from the World of Islam in The David Collection, Copenhagen 2001, cat.no. 533;
Joachim Meyer: Sensual Delights: Incense Burners and Rosewater Sprinklers from the World of Islam, The David Collection, Copenhagen 2015, cat.no. 28;
Luisa Vinhais and Jorge Welsh (eds.): Noble blue: the enduring appeal of blue ground Chinese porcelain, Jorge Welsh, London 2023, p. 43 and 44, fig. 24;
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