Grand œuf de suspension de Kütahya Lot n° 27

Turkey, Kütahya, Ottoman art, mid 18th century An ovoid ball, pierced on both sides, made of siliceous ceramic with blue painted decoration and black lines under a colorless glaze, decorated with stylized pomegranates decorated with rosettes, stylized plant motifs and floral stems. H. 21 cm ; Diam. 18 cm This hanging egg is particularly large. Such ovoid elements are frequently found in Ottoman mosques and Armenian and Greek Orthodox churches, suspended from the ceiling, attached to the middle of a chain that holds a lamp. Their function is not fully established. According to Joseph Soustiel, they prevented rodents from climbing down the chains and drinking the oil from the lamps (Jean Soustiel, La Céramique islamique, Fribourg, 1985, p. 348 and note 80 p. 364). John Carswell adds that these are also votive objects offered to churches by Armenian pilgrims (John Carswell, Kütahya Tiles and Pottery from the Armenian Cathedral of St James, Jerusalem, Oxford, 1972, p. 63). For a hanging egg decorated with a pomegranate, see Garo Kürkman, Magic of Clay and Fire. A History of Kütahya pottery and potters, Istanbul, 2006, cat. 197, p. 165. Expert L.S.