Cultureisserved: Ikat patterned plates
Guest edited by Victoria Z. Rivers
Culture is Served: Ikat patterned plates was first published in Selvedge issue 14: Imperial.
Most “textilians” would recognisea Central Asian ikat fabric but even the most ardent might be excused if they failed to spot these colourful, blurred-edged motifs on a plate or a bowl. Until recently there were few of these objects to spot. During the 1970s and 80s, world travellers may have glimpsed a fabric-like patterned plate in an Afghan or Uzbekistan bazaar, but it was only after the collapse of Soviet Russia in 1991 that these still rare ikat patterned plates began to appear in global textiles and artifact markets. The air-brushed designs of these plates have a contemporary feel that belies their age. The plates' backstamps consist of Cyrillic lettering with either a Czarist or Hapsburg double- headed eagle or crown and starburst motif, and reveal that most of these plates were manufactured in Russia between 1892 to 1917 – although there is still conflict about the exact dates. Most of the producing factories' records were burned for fuel during the Russian Revolution or destroyed in WWII.
Ikat plate production probably ceased around 1914 when supplies dried up and the political climate changed. The oldest ikat plate designs originated with the famous Gardner porcelain factory. Established in the 1770s, the factory had kiln and glazing technology to rival imported Meissen goods and satisfy the Russian aristocracy’s craving for ornate porcelains. The old Gardner factory drew widely for inspiration in its designs, including Russian folk idioms and textile motifs. In 1810, the Kuznetsov Brothers factory was founded. In 1889 it was renamed the M.S. Kuznetsov Factory, and became a conglomerate of seven factories producing Russian ceramics, including, following its purchase of the Gardner factory, the ikat plates. In the last days of the Gardner factory and the heyday of the Kuznetsov factories, both sought to manufacture goods that appealed to a broader audience and increasingly looked to indigenous designs of ethnic "others" for inspiration.
The M.S. Kuznetsov factories targeted the Asian markets of Iran, Turkey and Central Asia. While mold-poured platters and plates were the most commonly produced ikat-patterned ware, ikat serving pieces such as teapots and bowls were also manufactured but these are extremely rare. In Central Asia ikat fabrics had an aesthetic appeal and social function, conveying hierarchy and economic value. With their culturally familiar designs demand for the plates' was high. Many of the ikat motifs used in the plates, a double rams' horns motif; concentric or rhomboidal shaped eye-spots; parallel stripe variations; and dark scorpion/arachnid-like forms are preIslamic in origin, descended from Uzbek, Turkic tribal groups and evoke old beliefs in the magic or protective qualities of designs.
The protective attributes of the motifs were reinforced by a widespread belief in Central Asia that ikat-patterned plates possessed alexipharmac or antidotal properties. Imported ceramics were believed to have the power to detect poisoned food. They would supposedly cause the plates to break instantly, thus averting danger. This belief probably originated with Chinese celadon glazes – the pale green glazes evoked the protective power of jade – and were later transferred to the ikat plates. Beyond the motifs, the ikat plates' colour schemes echo the rosy pinks, deep reds, blues, violets and greens seen in Bukhara-produced Central Asian ikats.
The oldest ikat-patterned plates were decorated in faience style, using a opaque white slip beneath colourful over-glazes, while in later plates colours were sprayed over rosy pink glazes. The blurred edges characteristic of ikat were achieved by spraying glazes through carefully cut, irregular stencils. Quality can be distinguished by the luminosity of colour, and the resemblance to specific ikat patterns. Ikat-patterned tableware is a vivid reflection of Czarist Russia's economic interests in their otherwise neglected Central Asian territories.
In the 1860s, after four decades of bloody struggles, Russia gained firm control over the region. Cotton production was increased at the expense of food and local products were squeezed out by cheap mass-produced goods. Printed imitation ikat fabric and these plates were an assertion of Russia’s economic dominance over the Central Asian region. As John Bowlt put it, "it is often a prosaic material culture rather than the august portrait or palace of power, that expresses most vividly the sociopolitical aspirations of a particular regime". Yet the production period of Russian-made ikat patterned plates coincides with a increased sense of regional identity.
In response to Russia's exploitive control a Central Asian social reform movement arose that increased Islamic nationalism and alliance with Ottoman Turkey, in part based upon a sentimental identification with a similar culture. This movement reflected a larger philosophical Pan-Turkic alignment and the awakening nationalism that eventually led to the establishment of the Central Asian republics after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The ikat-patterned plates may have aided an awakening Central Asian pride by reflecting the visual culture attached to ikat.
Culture is Served: Ikat patterned plates by Victoria Z. Rivers was first published in Selvedge issue 14: Imperial.
Culture is Served: Ikat patterned plates was first published in Selvedge issue 14: Imperial.
Most “textilians” would recognisea Central Asian ikat fabric but even the most ardent might be excused if they failed to spot these colourful, blurred-edged motifs on a plate or a bowl. Until recently there were few of these objects to spot. During the 1970s and 80s, world travellers may have glimpsed a fabric-like patterned plate in an Afghan or Uzbekistan bazaar, but it was only after the collapse of Soviet Russia in 1991 that these still rare ikat patterned plates began to appear in global textiles and artifact markets. The air-brushed designs of these plates have a contemporary feel that belies their age. The plates' backstamps consist of Cyrillic lettering with either a Czarist or Hapsburg double- headed eagle or crown and starburst motif, and reveal that most of these plates were manufactured in Russia between 1892 to 1917 – although there is still conflict about the exact dates. Most of the producing factories' records were burned for fuel during the Russian Revolution or destroyed in WWII.
Ikat plate production probably ceased around 1914 when supplies dried up and the political climate changed. The oldest ikat plate designs originated with the famous Gardner porcelain factory. Established in the 1770s, the factory had kiln and glazing technology to rival imported Meissen goods and satisfy the Russian aristocracy’s craving for ornate porcelains. The old Gardner factory drew widely for inspiration in its designs, including Russian folk idioms and textile motifs. In 1810, the Kuznetsov Brothers factory was founded. In 1889 it was renamed the M.S. Kuznetsov Factory, and became a conglomerate of seven factories producing Russian ceramics, including, following its purchase of the Gardner factory, the ikat plates. In the last days of the Gardner factory and the heyday of the Kuznetsov factories, both sought to manufacture goods that appealed to a broader audience and increasingly looked to indigenous designs of ethnic "others" for inspiration.
The M.S. Kuznetsov factories targeted the Asian markets of Iran, Turkey and Central Asia. While mold-poured platters and plates were the most commonly produced ikat-patterned ware, ikat serving pieces such as teapots and bowls were also manufactured but these are extremely rare. In Central Asia ikat fabrics had an aesthetic appeal and social function, conveying hierarchy and economic value. With their culturally familiar designs demand for the plates' was high. Many of the ikat motifs used in the plates, a double rams' horns motif; concentric or rhomboidal shaped eye-spots; parallel stripe variations; and dark scorpion/arachnid-like forms are preIslamic in origin, descended from Uzbek, Turkic tribal groups and evoke old beliefs in the magic or protective qualities of designs.
The protective attributes of the motifs were reinforced by a widespread belief in Central Asia that ikat-patterned plates possessed alexipharmac or antidotal properties. Imported ceramics were believed to have the power to detect poisoned food. They would supposedly cause the plates to break instantly, thus averting danger. This belief probably originated with Chinese celadon glazes – the pale green glazes evoked the protective power of jade – and were later transferred to the ikat plates. Beyond the motifs, the ikat plates' colour schemes echo the rosy pinks, deep reds, blues, violets and greens seen in Bukhara-produced Central Asian ikats.
The oldest ikat-patterned plates were decorated in faience style, using a opaque white slip beneath colourful over-glazes, while in later plates colours were sprayed over rosy pink glazes. The blurred edges characteristic of ikat were achieved by spraying glazes through carefully cut, irregular stencils. Quality can be distinguished by the luminosity of colour, and the resemblance to specific ikat patterns. Ikat-patterned tableware is a vivid reflection of Czarist Russia's economic interests in their otherwise neglected Central Asian territories.
In the 1860s, after four decades of bloody struggles, Russia gained firm control over the region. Cotton production was increased at the expense of food and local products were squeezed out by cheap mass-produced goods. Printed imitation ikat fabric and these plates were an assertion of Russia’s economic dominance over the Central Asian region. As John Bowlt put it, "it is often a prosaic material culture rather than the august portrait or palace of power, that expresses most vividly the sociopolitical aspirations of a particular regime". Yet the production period of Russian-made ikat patterned plates coincides with a increased sense of regional identity.
In response to Russia's exploitive control a Central Asian social reform movement arose that increased Islamic nationalism and alliance with Ottoman Turkey, in part based upon a sentimental identification with a similar culture. This movement reflected a larger philosophical Pan-Turkic alignment and the awakening nationalism that eventually led to the establishment of the Central Asian republics after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The ikat-patterned plates may have aided an awakening Central Asian pride by reflecting the visual culture attached to ikat.
Culture is Served: Ikat patterned plates by Victoria Z. Rivers was first published in Selvedge issue 14: Imperial.