Tile with Volute Decoration on a Red Ground

ca. 1575-1580

The mid-16th century marked the beginning of the great decorative programmes in Iznik ceramics. Designed to beautify the interiors of mosques, palaces, mausoleums and sometimes even boats, these tiles are decorated with organic elements that unfurl in geometrical progression. Older forms like the hexagon gave way to the square, making it possible to develop one pattern over a number of tiles.