The floral compositions seen on İznik ceramics (Dinnerware) of ottoman period and underglaze brush decorated porcelain dinnerware applications

The history of the motifs in Turkish arts extends back to Turkish tribes lived in Asia during the pre-Islamic period. It is seen that those motifs have developed and diversified in the post-Islamic era. Turkish art has created a framework through revealing and reflecting its unique style in architecture, sacred architecture, various goods and utensils. Tile art was attached great importance during the Ottoman period and brilliant works of art were performed in palace workshops. Consequently, Turkish tile art reached its most magnificent period in the 16th century and Iznik was the most important production center of the period. A variety of ornaments, geometric, symbolic and botanical motifs are also seen especially in the utensils in almost every period of the Ottoman Empire. Further information about those motifs and styles are given in the first chapter of the paper. In the second chapter, the functionality, size and compositions of the utensils are discussed to reveal their importance in tiling works. Utensils are examined through being categorized as platters, shallow basins, trays and bowls in this chapter. Eating and serving utensils are discussed in terms of their color, pattern and compositions through reviewing the style and motif. Ornamental elements of the utensils are revealed based on the design disciplines. All these auxiliary elements such as styles, motifs and colors are generated according to the cultural perception of the period. Last chapter of the paper consists of original applications which are inspired from the examples mentioned above. The main resources of the research were books, museums and collections that reflect the concept of Iznik ware.