OUR COLLECTION — ASIA — TURKEY 548. BLUE TULIP CERAMIC HOLY FAMILY
This Nativity scene of the Holy Family is hand-painted ceramic. The scene was made in a ceramic workshop in rural Turkey led by Mustafa Yigit. Mustafa’s ceramic work represents an ancient Turkish art passed down from generation to generation. This Holy Family is decorated in a blue tulip pattern. The Joseph figure measures 5 inches tall.
The hand-painted flowers and other designs on the figures are based on authentic Iznik pottery styles, methods, and colors from the 15th and 16th centuries during the Ottoman Empire. Mustafa taught his designs to a dozen conservative Muslim women. With heads covered, these Turkish women sit and paint each detail. The artisans rarely travel outside their village near Thyateira in southwest Turkey. Following in their ancestors’ footsteps, they raise their own food and cattle to provide for their families’ necessities. They create traditional ceramics for additional income.
The Holy Family comes with a Turkish rug. The rug is machine-made and measures 6.25 by 4 inches.
Nativity scenes from Turkey are very rare because the country’s population of 76 million is 99.8% Muslim.
The hand-painted flowers and other designs on the figures are based on authentic Iznik pottery styles, methods, and colors from the 15th and 16th centuries during the Ottoman Empire. Mustafa taught his designs to a dozen conservative Muslim women. With heads covered, these Turkish women sit and paint each detail. The artisans rarely travel outside their village near Thyateira in southwest Turkey. Following in their ancestors’ footsteps, they raise their own food and cattle to provide for their families’ necessities. They create traditional ceramics for additional income.
The Holy Family comes with a Turkish rug. The rug is machine-made and measures 6.25 by 4 inches.
Nativity scenes from Turkey are very rare because the country’s population of 76 million is 99.8% Muslim.