Publications & Papers
AN ESSAY ON ÇANAKKALE CERAMICS
Summary
Since the prehistoric times, all cultures have tried to express themselves through various fields of fine arts. Long before the invention of writing, mankind has enriched its life through the figures drawn on cave walls, pictures engraved on rocks, figures made of soil, stones or various materials obtained from animals such as bones and teeth. These figures, which were first seen in our country in prehistoric settlements, reach considerable sizes with the large animal figures of the Hittite Civilization. Fine arts, and particulary sculpture, reached an undisputable magnitude later on, particularly during the period after Alexander the Great when Hellenic influence was widespread in Anatolia until the predomination of the geography by Islam.
Starting from the XIV th century, pottery-making has continued in many production centers throughout Anatolia. Doubtlessly, İznik [Nicaea] tiles are the first to come to mind when Anatolian tiles and ceramics are mentioned. It is known that Kütahya, which emerged in ceramic-making in the post-İznik period, had been a major center of pottery-making much earlier. A third center that emerged starting from the latter half of the XVIII th century is Çanakkale. Production at the workshops in Çanakkale is confined to daily use goods. Çanakkale ceramic-making is the product of a different understanding. Çanakkale workshops, serving to the people rather than meeting the needs of the palace, do not produce tiles or architectural materials. Yet, besides pottery-making it produces objects undreamed of... It enjoys the advantage of not producing for the palace, and not limiting its imagination with orders.
With this article, I wanted to share with the enthusiasts of the subject an issue that has long been busying my mind. How do the artisans in Çanakkale obtain this colorful world of imagination, which has produced an unprecedented richness of figures for centuries? What and where is the source of inspiration for these objects? Have the artisans in Çanakkale solely used their imagination or been inspired by certain objects from the past? What kind of a role has the link between Wilusa and Çanakkale played in this renaissance? Have the artisans in Çanakkale created figures of the past after seeing them, or the creative power of these lands reemerged after a long break? The similarity of new figures with those remaining from the past brings to our minds many such questions. I believe we need more documentation and information on this issue.