I love Turkish ceramics and glassblowing.
Çeşm-i bülbül (the nightingale's eye):
Selim III (18th C) sent Mehmet Dede, a Mevlevi Dervish, to Italy to learn glassblowing techniques. At the time, the island city of Murano, Venice was thriving with magnificent glassblowing works.
Having returned to Istanbul, Mehmet Dede opened an atelier in Beykoz, Istanbul. He brought the technique of 'opal glass' and altered it and came up with 'Çeşm-i bülbül' technique.
In order to make a çeşm-i bülbül vase, pitcher, sugar bowl, bowl or plate, thin and colored glass sticks are melted and placed in liquid glass. And then, the material is spun to give an oval or similar shape. Why they call it 'the nightingale's eye' is that when you look at the bottom of the objet d'art, you see the end of the spinning pattern and it looks like a bird's eye.
Although they look similar, Beykoz glass work can be distinguished from Murano works by its thinner and more elegant spiral pattern.
A murano jar:
Along with çeşm-i bülbül, Beykoz has been the center of glassblowing of the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey for long. Beykoz Cam Fabrikası (Beykoz Glass Factory) is now a label that is highly worthy for collectors. I think they are very pretty.
Beykoz Gülabdan (Rose-water bottle)
Beykoz Kuş:
Beykoz Pitcher:
Beykoz Crystal Bottles:
I would kill to make a collection of those.