1983.49: Large Brush Rest in the Form of Five Mountain Peaks and with Persian Inscription Reading "Khama Dan" (Brush Rest)
Artists' ToolsGallery Text
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, three imperial powers dominated the Islamic world—the Ottomans, the Safavids, and the Mughals. Militarily, the Ottomans were the most formidable, and their realm was the most extensive. With the capital in Istanbul, the empire spread at its height to Africa, Europe, and Asia. Despite the empire’s diversity, the Ottomans developed a remarkably unified artistic idiom. The court established a design studio whose models were disseminated to court workshops specializing in particular media. Two artists who directed the design studio during the sixteenth century—Shahquli and Kara Memi—created distinct styles that defined Ottoman visual art for centuries.
Working with court designs, ceramic artists in Istanbul and Iznik experimented with an increasing range of colors from the late fifteenth through the sixteenth century. The taste for the blue-and-white palette of Chinese porcelain expanded to include turquoise, then purple and sage green, and ultimately the famous bright red and emerald green. In the sixteenth century Ottoman rulers preferred Chinese porcelain for their tableware, though the wealthy favored Iznik ceramics, which were also exported in great quantities to Europe.
Identification and Creation
- Object Number
- 1983.49
- Title
- Large Brush Rest in the Form of Five Mountain Peaks and with Persian Inscription Reading "Khama Dan" (Brush Rest)
- Classification
- Artists' Tools
- Work Type
- brush stand
- Date
- Zhengde period, 1506-1521
- Places
- Creation Place: East Asia, China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen
- Period
- Ming dynasty, 1368-1644
- Culture
- Chinese
- Persistent Link
- https://hvrd.art/o/201983
Location
- Location
-
Level 2, Room 2550, Art from Islamic Lands, The Middle East and North Africa
View this object's location on our interactive map
Physical Descriptions
- Medium
- Blue-and-white ware: porcelain with decoration painted in underglaze cobalt blue; underglaze cobalt blue mark reading "Da Ming Zhengde nian zhi" within a double square on the base
- Technique
- Blue-and-white ware
- Dimensions
- H. 11.2 x W. 22.7 x D. 5.6 cm (4 7/16 x 8 15/16 x 2 3/16 in.)
Provenance
- Recorded Ownership History
- Mr. and Mrs. Samuel B. Grimson, New York (by 1983), gift; to Fogg Art Museum, 1983.
Acquisition and Rights
- Credit Line
- Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel B. Grimson
- Accession Year
- 1983
- Object Number
- 1983.49
- Division
- Asian and Mediterranean Art
- Contact
- am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
- Permissions
-
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Exhibition History
- Transformations: Asia East and West, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 12/19/1992 - 02/14/1993
- 32Q: 2550 Islamic, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050
Subjects and Contexts
- Google Art Project
Verification Level
This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu