May 09, 2011
I started thinking about this necklace months ago... While spending one day wandering the streets, poking in to shops and the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, I noticed a recurring design theme on pottery, embroidery, rugs, just about anything you can imagine. When I mentioned it to my husband he not only hadn't noticed, but didn't seem all that interested. harumph! Men!
These are the patterns or images I started to see:
Although I had no idea it was a tulip being depicted since it looked so different than the one I knew from Holland, Mr. Gundogdu of Sofa Art and Antiques seemed quite pleased that I'd noticed and explained their fascinating history.
Tapestry in Topaki Palace
It turns out that tulips did not originate in Holland, or Turkey for that matter, but in Asia. However, it was the Ottoman Empire (present day Turkey) that acquired and prized them first, as well as used them in decoration since the 12th century. Europeans starting going to Istanbul in the mid-16th century to purchase them. It peaked in the Ottoman Empire in the first decades of the 18th century known as "the Tulip Period." There were some 2,000 varieties.
Some species of tulip were cultivated with a particular shape differentiating the "Istanbul tulip" (aka "Ottoman tulip") from those we know today. Patterns were often stylized with the elongation of the petals like seen above.
Since 2006 Istanbul has celebrated their pride of their place in the famed tulip's history with the Tulip Festival in April of each year.
When I found the Red Bamboo Coral Tulip beads I knew they'd be perfect with the vintage brass tulip findings I had in my stash. Cherry Red Lip Artisan necklace (SOLD) is going to be a limited edition and one will stay with me!
