A rare Iznik Blue and White 'Golden Horn' Jug, Turkey, circa 1530-40

the body of bulbous form with a large cylindrical neck, decorated in an underglaze cobalt blue and light turquoise against a white ground with interlacing foliate scrolls and keyfret bands, interspersed with arabesque motifs

Couleurs d'Orient, Brussels, 2010

Turkophilia, Paris, 2011

Brussels 2010, p.105

Paris 2011, p.44

In fair condition, missing handle, including crack on neck where original handle would have been, hairline cracks to glaze, some abrasion along rim, base with few cracks and some abrasion, minor restoration and losses to the glaze, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This is both a substantial and rare example of Iznik pottery of the 'Golden Horn', or 'Tugrakes', style.

The group of wares known as 'Golden Horn' take their name from a group of sherds discovered on the waterways southern shores in the early twentieth century, during excavations for a new Post Office in Sirkeci (Carswell 1998, p.50). Others are said to be have been found near Aksaray (Atasoy and Raby 1989, p.108). The association is, of course, misleading and the pieces in this group are clearly the work of the potters of Iznik and Kutahya. One of the most famous pieces of the group is the Godman flask in the British Museum (ibid., p.46). The fame of this piece is in part due to its bearing an inscription with historical information on its base. Unusual enough in itself, the inscription also includes a rare documentary dating for a piece of Iznik, in this case 1529 A.D., giving a relatively secure dating for the Golden Horn wares. The group displays a form of decoration, predominantly a series of floral concentric spirals, which neither evolve from an Iznik antecedent nor leave a significant legacy in that tradition. Rather, the inspiration seems to come from contemporary illumination, in particular Imperial illumination of a type found on the background of the sultan's tughras (Atasoy and Raby 1989, p.109, fig.131). This source would indicate the influence of the innermost workings of the Imperial chancery and legitimate the assertion of sultanic patronage for Iznik of this period.

This jug is an unusually large example of this form. The decoration is composed of typical spirals composed of stylised floral elements, paired leaves and scrolls. The elaborate palmettes and grid forms superimposed on this are also characteristic of this group and are very similar to those found on a magnificent bottle in the British Museum and a tile in the Museum für Islamische Kunst, Berlin-Dahlem (ibid., p.112, fig.147, and p.111, fig.143). A jug of similar form though smaller and, to judge from the decoration, later in the period, is in the David Collection (von Folsach 2001, p.185, no.255).

The style seems to have had some subsequent impact in Italy where imitations were manufactured in Liguria in the second half of the sixteenth century (ibid., p.267, fig.589).