Famed Ottoman artists of the late 15th to 17th century captured with vibrant colors of precious stones under the glaze of the finest Turkish Iznik Ceramic, or 'Cini'. Today`s Mehmet Gursoy, highly regarded as Turkey`s most exceptional master `Cinici` or maker of `Cini`, extracts principles and forms from 15th to 17th century Cini to bring unique new pieces to life, in exceptional designs that reflect the enormity and richness of the Ottoman Empire as his predecessors saw it. Truly powerful indeed. Prof. Henry Glassie - Indiana University
About UsIznik tiles are composed of 70-80 percent quartz and quartzites. Its beauty emerges from a harmonious combination of three consecutive quartz layers and a combination of paste-slip-glaze which is extremely difficult to assemble. The mixture of quartz, clay, and glaze is distributed in a very wide thermal spectrum at 900 degrees Celsius. In Iznik tiles, dark blue color of lapis lazuli, turquoise blue, coral red, emerald green can be seen with similar colors as semi-precious stones.
Named after the town in western Anatolia where it was first made popular, Iznik pottery is revival of the vividly painted ceramics and tiles of the Ottoman Empire. The intricate decorations on the hand painted ceramics progressed from pure symmetry to subtle rhytmes, incorporating ships, animals, trees, carnations, roses and of course, lots of tulips.
Mehmet Gursoy is a leading figure in the revival of Iznik Pottery. For 30 years, Gursoy has been studying and producing iznik art and ceramics, working to truly rediscover the secrets of clay and unique colors of Iznik Pottery. His work is displayed in Turkish missions overseas, in private collections and in various museums, incuding the Museum of Anatolian Civilazitions in Ankara and the Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery of Asian Art in Washington, D.C.
Watch the story of the long construction of Iznik tiles starting from the soil. This Iznik art, which is a great toil at each stage, comes to life again after 400 years.
In 2003, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) accept, the intention of protecting the intangible cultural heritage contract.
We are the cultural heritage bearer of Iznik tiles and ceramics. This Iznik art which was a peak in the 16th century has been buried in history for 400 years. As a result of many years of work, Unesco gives “Living Human Treasure” prize to us for bringing a lost art back to life after 400 years. We are honored. Iznik art is a very precious art, an art that requires a very thin spirit. We are doing our work in this consciousness, achieving success after that is not difficult at all.
see collectionLook at the hand made iznik tile panel collection!