Turkish Iznik
Traditional Crafts of the Muslim World
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Documentary, History
As industrialisation has taken hold in the world, traditional arts and handicrafts are gradually disappearing. However, there are still master craftsmen and women keeping various traditional crafts alive.
Iznik pottery, or Iznik ware, named after the town of İznik in western Anatolia where it is made, is a decorated ceramic that was produced from the last quarter of the 15th century until the end of the 17th century.
İznik was an established centre for the production of simple earthenware pottery with an underglaze decoration when, in the last quarter of the 15th century, craftsmen in the town began to manufacture high quality pottery with a fritware body painted with cobalt blue under a colourless transparent lead glaze. The designs combined traditional Ottoman arabesque patterns with Chinese elements. The change was almost certainly a result of active intervention and patronage by the recently established Ottoman court in Istanbul who greatly valued Chinese blue-and-white porcelain.
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