Pilgrim flask

Kutahya is an ancient Turkish city on the southern edge of the Anatolian plateau, close to deposits of many minerals used by potters. Ceramics have been produced there for at least 1,000 years. Around the 15th century Kutahya potters began to work with fritware, an artificially-created ceramic material that, when fired with an opaque white glaze, nearly rivaled the qualities of much-prized Chinese porcelain.

Ceramics made in Kutahya continued to evolve after the court-sponsored kilns of Iznik ceased firing in the 1600s, and it reached a peak in the 18th century.  As at Iznik, potters made both tiles and a wide variety of hollow wares. Much of it was painted, over the glaze, using the Iznik colors of black, blue, turquoise, green and raised red, but adding a bright yellow. Kutahya specialized in small pieces, such as tea services or small plates. Decorative motifs tended to be small in scale. The potters could be Christian or Muslim. Most were from a large Armenian community, and production included pieces intended for church display.

The MFA is fortunate that two of its most generous early patrons, George Washington Wales and Denman Waldo Ross, having acquired about fifty Kutahya pieces between them, bequeathed them to the Museum around 1900. Although many of the pots are fragmentary, they showcase well the variety and individuality of the potters’ styles.