Damascus Tulip Dish

Syria, 16th / 17th century
30cm diameter
Stock no.: A3135a

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Damascus Tulip Dish

The dish of circular form with a deep well with purple painted tulips, greenery, black and blue hyacinth flowers. The scalloped rim decorated with blue flower heads; the back of the dish decorated with black waterweed and blue flower heads. In the centre and front of the dish, spur marks are visible. This rare dish demonstrates a Damascus-style based on an Iznik dish, but in a Syrian palette. According to Watson, see the colours – for example no red is used and a grass-green colour is used in place of the typical turquoise colour (Oliver Watson, Ceramics From Islamic Lands, London, 2004, p. 444). See a 16th century Damascus dish painted with blue flowers on a green ground in the V&A Collection, London, with similar black waterweed scrolled decoration on the back of the dish.

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