A KUTAHYA POTTERY HANGING ORNAMENT
West Anatolia, 19th century

Shaped like an egg, pierced at each end, painted in dark blue, turquoise, yellow and red against white ground, the design outlined in black and consisting of four stylised winged seraphs interspersed with blue clovers, possibly a reinterpreted version of the typical cross motif of 18th-century Kutahya examples, the original suspension system now missing, 13.4cm high.

Similar suspension ornaments, often simply referred to as 'eggs', are frequently found in Orthodox churches as well as mosques. Some of these eggs were donated to Christian churches by pilgrims, as votive offerings. Given their peculiar shapes, these hanging ornaments could have been linked to the cult of fertility. For more details, please see J. Carswell and C.J.F. Dowsett, Kutahya Tiles and Pottery from the Armenian Cathedral of St. James, Jerusalem, 1972, Vol. II, p.63. A number of these ornaments have successfully sold in the London auction market, please see Christie's London, 4 October 2012, lot 255; and 11 April 2014, lot 368; and Sotheby's London, 24 April 2013, lot 255.