The Fascinating Story Behind Kütahya’s Ceramics
What Happens When Christians and Muslims Join Forces
July 4th, 1921
After a harsh 48-hour-long battle with the Turkish forces, the X Infantry Division of the Greek army enters Kutahya. With pitched-black faces from the gunpowder and ragged clothing, filled with the desert’s dust, the soldiers enter the city. They would hold it for exactly one year, one month, and 14 days.
As the soldiers marched through the dusty roads with the city’s two-store white houses towering over their heads, they gazed at something amazing. Hundreds of ceramics were stacked in front of them. Vases, cups, plates, jars, and jugs were shining bright like diamonds under the summer sun! They were countless, all painted with shiny colors and decorated with beautiful patterns. Some were depicting flowers like tulips and lotuses. Others were attorned with animals or ships with bright blue sails. A handful of them even had Christian Saints, others Armenian writings or Muslim calligraphies painted on their surfaces!
The Greek soldiers were amazed. They marveled for hours at the beautiful sight in front of them. Little did they know, they were among a handful of foreigners to witness firsthand the famous Kutahyan ceramics, one of the finest forms of Ottoman art.
“A City Made From Clay”
When the art of Ottoman tiles and ceramics is mentioned İznik, Kütahya, and Çanakkale come first to mind. Almost everybody knows the “Iznik tiles”, a style of Ottoman ceramics as beautiful and precious as the Ming porcelains, or the ancient Greek amphoreis of old. These amazing forms of pottery were created in the city of Iznik, whose name became known throughout the world. But, whilst it appears to be in its shadow, Kütahya has been a center supporting İznik, always by its side, sometimes producing the very same works, like a nameless hero.
When production in İznik halted during the early 17th century, Kütahya found its own identity. Being blessed with great amounts of quality clay from the nearby mountains, the city soon takes the lead in the production, entering its golden age in the 18th century. Its ceramics were admired all around the world, its art rivaled even the great Iznik tiles! But while in Iznik the production was done by a majority of Muslim artists, in Kütahya the work was shared between the city’s Muslim and Christian population. People from different backgrounds, ethnic origins, and religions, Turks, Armenians, Greeks, and even Jews, began building pottery workshops, which sprang out like mushrooms in every corner.
Soon Kütahya became known as “the city made from clay”. In every block, between the narrow streets, you could see craftsmen working for hours in their workshops. Smoke was rising to the sky from their ovens while on the ground thousand tiny “clay mountains” were forming with soil taken from the nearby hills. Vases and plates were stored like pyramids outside the shops, waiting for someone to buy them for the right price.
And this price was high enough, for Kütahyan ceramics were prized throughout the Ottoman empire and its craftsmen were equal or sometimes even superior to the famous Iznik artists. In fact, we now know that some ceramics previously identified as İznik productions are in fact from Kütahya in origin!
Meet the Artists
During the early 20th century, there were about 30.000 residents in Kütahya. Of those, about 5.000 were Armenians and 3.000 were Greeks, while there were also a few smaller minorities, such as Jews. The vast majority were Ottoman Turks. In a wonderful display of cooperation, these three groups, coming from different ethnic, religious, social, and economic backgrounds, worked together to create what is now known as Kütahya ceramics. Some borrowed influences from one another, while others straight-up worked together.
The result is breathtaking:
There are Kütahya ceramics with Greek, Armenian, or Ottoman influences. It was not uncommon to see a Greek artist create a vase with Muslim calligraphies, while a Muslim painted St. George on a plate made for a Christian customer. From the minorities, Armenian potters were very impactful in Kutahya ceramics production.
Sadly, the political turmoil of the early 20th century in Turkey, along with the mass deportation of Christian minorities, reduced the rich artistic variety in Kütahya pottery, ending in the most sad way possible its once glorious past. Never again would the ceramics feature such a rich and multicultural variety again.
Present-day Kütahya: a Journey Through Time
Having reached its zenith in the 17th and 18th centuries in terms of creativity, the ensuing years witnessed a decline in the variety and production rate of Kütahya tiles and ceramics. It was once again revived in the late 19th century and, standing somewhere between İznik and Çanakkale ceramics as “urban art,” became an integral part of the Ottoman art mosaic with its broad product range and continuity.
Despite some periods of decline from time to time, Kütahya continues to this day its marvelous production of clay ceramics, staying loyal to its centuries-old tradition. While most of the pottery business is now strongly industrialized, there are still a few traditional workshops keeping the magic alive. Its people are more than happy to share with strangers their legacy and tell you wonderful stories.
A trip to Kütahya is like a journey through time itself. Walking past old neighborhoods and tiny shops, you never know what hidden treasures you will find! Centuries later, the “City of Clay” still continues to amaze us.
Bibliography
Special thanks to Ulya Soley — Curator of the Pera Museum in Istanbul and Mina Moraitou — Curator of the Benaki Islamic Arts Museum of Athens for their valuable information
Anatolu Agency, (2022), Time travel through history of pottery in Kütahya, Turkey, available at https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/time-travel-through-history-of-pottery-in-kutahya-turkey/news, (last access: 15/06/22)
Pournara, M., (2021), Pottery from a bygone city and era, available at https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1169170/pottery-from-a-bygone-city-and-era/, (last access: 15/06/22)
Crowe, Y., (2011), Kütahya ceramics and international Armenian trade networks, available at http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/journals/research-journal/issue-03/kutahya-ceramics-and-international-armenian-trade-networks/, (last access: 15/06/22)
