18-19. Yüzyıllarda Kütahya Çiniciliği: Üretim İlişkileri, Çini Ticareti ve Motifler

Abstract

The tiles reflecting the social character of the city of Kutahya are a folkloric occupation manifested from the city's existing resources. This occupation has continued throughout the ages and became the only important craft of the city. The tile art that started in the Germiyanoğulları period in Kütahya reached its peak in the 18th century Ottoman Empire. The most important reasons for this were the development of the architectural order that supported tile-making in the Ottoman period, the Armenian trade networks covering the city and the consumption of coffee, which was observed to increase all over the world in the 18th century. The order networks that developed with coffee cups increased the demand for Kütahya tiles in this period. As a result of the archaeological excavations, it has been determined that the 18th century Kütahya tiles reached Asia, Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East/Mesopotamia. The fact that the Kütahya tile makers were mostly Armenians in the 18th century shows that this art was supported through commercial networks. In addition, the new motifs used in tiles are another proof of the existence of commercial connections with different geographies. However, despite all these commercial activities, the scarcity of spatial data and trade documents creates uncertainty in the production chain.

There are very limited studies in which Kütahya's tile art and urban texture are centered and examined together. However, it is difficult to understand the dimensions of production here, considering the tiling, which has become an image of the city, outside the urban context. Therefore, the study will focus on this point and the urban economy and tile production will be examined.