Ottoman Floral Watch

Description

Our elegant watch motif is adapted from the vibrant foliage and flowers on an original eighteenth-century plate in the collection. The glazed earthenware plate was created in India during the Ottoman period (ca. 1299–1922), with painted designs in rich tones of deep blue, turquoise, and white. At its height, the Ottoman Empire spread from Anatolia and the Caucasus into Syria, Arabia, and Iraq, and across much of North Africa. Ceramic vessels and tiles reached a peak of excellence during this period, with decorative flowering plant motifs especially popular.

18K gold overlay case. Printed plastic band. Quartz movement. Case: 1 1/4'' diam. Band: adjusts from 5 7/8'' to 7 7/8''L.

Art History

The collection of the Metropolitan Museum’s Department of Islamic Art—one of the finest and most comprehensive in the world—includes more than twelve thousand works from the seventh to the early twentieth century, reflecting the cultural traditions and the history of the Islamic world and its vast geographic sweep, from Spain and Morocco in the west to South Asia and beyond in the east.