A REVIVAL IZNIK-STYLE POTTERY PLATE
Algiers, Algeria, North Africa, late 19th - early 20th century

Of typical rounded shape, with a very thin circular foot and gently everted rim, the body covered in white slip and painted in black, cobalt blue, green, turquoise and manganese purple, the style of the decoration reminiscent of Ottoman Iznik and Damascus ceramics with stylised tulips, saz leaves, carnations, rosettes and lotus flowers, all entangled and interlocked in an intricate vegetal spray, the back painted in light blue wash and signed Soupireau Alger, with two old inventory stickers, one mentioning the number 172 and the price 5 Francs, and the latter with a faded name and surname Hill, and the date Nov. 1919, 20cm diam.

The art of Maghreb often occupies a marginal place in the vision and study of the arts of Islam, specifically the 19th-century production influenced and fuelled by constant contact with the West is rarely discussed. Interest in the arts produced in Algeria seems to have mostly derived from ethnographic studies, rather than art historical concerns. Of interest to us, is the urban and architectural transformation of Algiers at the end of 1880s, which converted the large suburban residences of the Ottoman period into new ateliers devoted to meeting the rising demand for local arts and crafts. This led to the establishment of renowned ceramic production centres and to a brief Golden Age period (1880s - 1920s) for Algerian pottery. One such centre was established by the French ceramicist Ernest Soupireau in 1888 in 10 Rue Fontaine-Bleue, Algiers. In his atelier, he trained apprentices from both Europe and North Africa, with them working side by side. Being not only a ceramicist but also a ceramics enthusiast and collector, Soupireau started purchasing Islamic artefacts and Ottoman ceramics, and slavishly reproducing their flamboyant styles and decorations. He began manufacturing designs that were fusing old and modern elements, in a similar manner to his peers Theodore Deck and Edme Samson in France and Ulisse Cantagalli in Italy. For further reference on this subject, please read Clara Ilham Álvarez Dopico's article online, Une nouvelle tradition: la céramique algéroise à l’aube du xx^e siècle, ABE Journal (http://journals.openedition.org/abe/4333).