Istanbul_ The Collected Traveler_ An Inspired Companion Guide - Barrie Kerper [225]
Though they may never reproduce Iznik exactly, at least one company has been successful at creating high-quality reproductions: Iznik Classics. The shop in Sultanahmet, near the Four Seasons hotel, is almost more of a museum than a store, except that, yes, everything is for sale. Be sure to walk both upstairs and downstairs to see everything—the downstairs rooms are truly impressive. Iznik ware is not by any measure inexpensive, but it is distinctive. Though I departed with two beautiful bowls, I am still thinking about a particular set of teal-and-brown tiles. Only after I returned home did I learn from a colleague that she had chosen a set of tiles and the store staff had them framed for her. What a great idea! I am making a beeline for the store on my next visit. Iznik Classics has three shops in Istanbul: in the Grand Bazaar (Iç Bedesten Şerifağa Sokak 188 / +90 212 520 2568), in the Arasta Bazaar (nos. 67, 73, and 161 / +90 212 517 1705), and in Sultanahmet (Utangaç Sokak 17 / +90 212 516 8874).
Two essential Iznik reads are:
Iznik: The Artistry of Ottoman Ceramics, by Walter Denny (Thames & Hudson, 2004). A gorgeous, oversize hardcover with beautiful color photographs, this is an authoritative volume on Iznik ceramics. Denny provides not only fine and fascinating details of Iznik pottery itself, but also an excellent overview of Ottoman artistic accomplishment. He reminds us that as the Ottoman Empire was an Islamic state, there were no large monuments of public sculpture or large paintings. As a result, what would be considered “minor” or “decorative” arts in the West were held in high regard in the Islamic world. “This distinction,” writes Denny, “is a vital one for our Western understanding of Islamic art in general and Ottoman art in particular,” and “had Vasari studied goldsmithing instead of painting, perhaps the history of Western art would have taken a different direction.” Visitors to Turkey will not be left in any doubt that Iznik pottery is magnificent and worthy of the world’s highest appreciation.
Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, by Nurhan Atasoy and Julian Raby (Alexandria Press, in association with Thames & Hudson, 1994). When Walter Denny referred to this book as the essential work on Iznik, I knew I had to track it down. I couldn’t see how anything could surpass Denny’s own work, but I admit he was right: this is a stellar and lavish reference.
Atasoy relates that, according to archival sources, even during the sixteenth century, when the most beautiful Iznik wares of the highest quality were being made, the Ottoman elite much preferred Chinese porcelain, so that at Topkapı and in the homes of the privileged, Iznik pottery was used only as everyday ware. Registers from the palace treasury and kitchens state that not enough porcelain was kept in the palace to cater for the sumptuous banquets given during the celebrations for the circumcision of Prince Mehmet, son of Sultan Murad III, in 1582, festivities that lasted fifty-two days and nights. To make up for this shortage, 541 Iznik plates, dishes, and bowls were bought from the bazaar. The Chinese porcelains at Topkapı were very well protected because they were so highly valued, and the collection came to number more than 10,600 pieces, which have survived to our day. Iznik pottery wasn’t kept in the same storerooms as the porcelain and no care was taken to protect it; as a result, there is no Iznik pottery in the palace collections. Chapters on the types and forms of Iznik, and how it’s made, are quite detailed, and the color plates in the final section are gorgeous.
J
Jewish Community in Istanbul
In A Travel Guide to Jewish Europe, Ben G. Frank notes that “Istanbul was one of the most important Jewish centers of the world, replete with Jewish schools and scholars. It was even called the Jewish