Iznik Tiles and the Mosque of Rüstem Pasha by Kerry Longbottom (original) (raw)

The 16th century was a time of rapid growth and change in the Iznik tile industry, with the commission for the Mosque of Rüstem Pasha serving as its most significant turning point. The mosque of Rüstem Pasha has long been considered one of the most important monuments of the Ottoman Empire, being the first mosque to use tiles as its main form of decoration and hailed as one of the architect Sinan’s most refined mosque designs. This paper offers a new look at the mosque, using Gulru Neçipoglu’s translations of Ottoman court documents to argue that although Rüstem Pasha had died before its construction began, he had made explicitly clear his desires to have his mosque covered in tiles decorated in the floral style pioneered by Kara Memi. Following this argument, this paper will analyze the body of surviving Iznik tiles from before and after this period to demonstrate how the Iznik workshops incorporated Kara Memi’s style into their existing decorative vocabulary, resulting in a style of ceramics decoration distinct to Iznik wares.