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Tile Decorated with a Fountain between Two Parrots - Image 1
Tile Decorated with a Fountain between Two Parrots - Image 2
Public Domain

Iznik kilns and Unidentified, probably American

Tile Decorated with a Fountain between Two Parrots

1580s

Tile Decorated with a Fountain between Two Parrots — thumbnail 1
Tile Decorated with a Fountain between Two Parrots — thumbnail 2
Scroll
  • Artist: Iznik kilns
  • Artist Artists: Unidentified, probably American

Tile Decorated with a Fountain between Two Parrots

1580s

Physical Qualities Fritware with white, green, blue, red, and transparent glazes, 10 3/16 × 9 15/16 in. (25.8 × 25.3 cm.)
Credit Line Bequest of Blanche Adler
Object Number 1941.97
Two parrots face each other across the water fountain where they rest. The motif suggests the soul's place in paradise, with the fountain representing paradise and the birds symbolizing the human soul. During the Ottoman Empire (1299-1922), Iznik kilns in present-day Turkiye produced vast quantities of tiles for palaces, mosques, and tombs. This fritware tile was based on imported Chinese porcelain vessels, but Iznik potters used different different [sic] methods to produce it The process of adding different enamel colors in steps, then galzing, and firing multiple times resulted in the tile's intensely clear colors. Around 1560, the Iznik kilns developed the distinctive red from a mixture of red clay and iron oxide applied in a thick later under the glaze.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by bequest, 1941; Blanche Adler, Baltimore
Collection installation, "Asia. Artistic Innovation & Exchange", Levy Gallery, Baltimore Museum of Art, October 5, 2024-

Artist Artists

Unidentified, probably American

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