Motifs in Karamemi style iznik dishes during the Ottoman Period, examination and application of the compositions

Ottoman-era tile art that centered in Iznik particularly in the 16th century and new approaches in tile compositions by the masters attached to the Ottoman Academy of Miniature Painting (Nakkaşhane) contributed to specific styles during the period. Karamemi style is one of the examples among the Ottoman-style pieces. Şahkulu and his student, Karamemi were the greatest artists of the Academy in the era of Suleiman the Magnificent. Karamemi followed a naturalistic approach reflecting his own taste and perspective apart from classic compositions. He used motifs as garden flowers combined with spring branches and cypress tree in the patterns as a main theme without any changes in their character. The leaves and stems of semi-stylized flowers were involved in the composition based on their preserved characters. Keywords: Karamemi, Tile, Iznik, Style