Skip Navigation

Spherical Hanging Ornament

Arts of the Islamic World

On View: Arts of the Islamic World, 2nd floor
One of the most outstanding examples from the Brooklyn Museum's fine collection of Islamic ceramics is a large spherical hanging ornament from Ottoman Turkey. The sixteenth century marked the culmination of Ottoman Turkish imperial power and patronage of the arts, particularly under the ruler Süleyman the Magnificent (reigned 1520–66). In the late sixteenth century, Ottoman ceramic production at Iznik (ancient Nicea) reached maturity. Created by the designers of the imperial workshop, or nakkashane, the design on this spherical hanging ornament is a harmonious combination of naturalistic floral motifs and stylized vine-scrolls and palmettes characteristic of the late phase of Iznik production (1560–1650).

Although the history of Iznik ceramic design is well documented, the precise function of spherical ornaments such as this one is more difficult to establish. Nonetheless, the absence of decoration on one side and the metal brackets on the top and bottom provide clues to the purpose of such objects. They were intended to hang on chains suspended from the ceilings of mosques and other religious structures and to be viewed only from a distance or directly underneath. It is unclear whether large spheres, such as this example, were made to hang independently or along with mosque lamps. In both Christian and Muslim sanctuaries in the Middle East it remains common practice to hang spherical ornaments of glass, metal, or ceramic, perhaps to symbolize the orb of heaven.
MEDIUM Ceramic; fritware, painted in black, cobalt blue, green, and red on a white slip ground under a transparent glaze
  • Possible Place Made: Iznik, Turkey
  • DATES 1575-1585
    DYNASTY Ottoman
    PERIOD Ottoman
    DIMENSIONS 12 3/4 × 11 3/4 × 11 1/4 in. (32.4 × 29.8 × 28.6 cm) diameter: 11 15/16 in. (30.3 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 43.24.8
    CREDIT LINE Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederic B. Pratt
    PROVENANCE Possibly from a mosque in Bolu, Turkey; prior to 1898, provenance not yet documented; before 1898, acquired by Dikran Kelekian of New York, NY; before 1898, purchased from Dikran Kelekian by Charles A. Dana; February 24, 1898, sold at American Art Association sale of the Estate of Charles A. Dana, lot 196; between 1898 and 1943, provenance not yet documented; by 1943, acquired by Frederic B. Pratt and Caroline Ames Ladd Pratt (Mrs. Frederic B. Pratt); April 10, 1943, gift of Frederic B. Pratt and Caroline Ames Ladd Pratt to the Brooklyn Museum.
    Provenance FAQ
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Arts of the Islamic World, 2nd floor
    CAPTION Spherical Hanging Ornament, 1575-1585. Ceramic; fritware, painted in black, cobalt blue, green, and red on a white slip ground under a transparent glaze, 12 3/4 × 11 3/4 × 11 1/4 in. (32.4 × 29.8 × 28.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederic B. Pratt, 43.24.8. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 43.24.8_view2_PS9.jpg)
    IMAGE top, 43.24.8_view2_PS9.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2013
    "CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
    You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
    RECORD COMPLETENESS
    Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.