Friendship Vase 

Size: 50 cm

Technique: Underglaze Painting on Porcelain

Year: 2023

As a product of cultural exchange along the Silk Road, blue-and-white porcelain has served as a bridge of friendship between civilizations for centuries. In this shared history, İznik ceramics of Türkiye and Jingdezhen porcelain of China can be seen as siblings that evolved in different lands while preserving a common artistic heritage.

During the fifteenth century, Ottoman artisans adapted the Chinese lotus motif into their own visual language, giving rise to the distinctive Hatayi pattern. Today, students of traditional Turkish ceramic and tile arts begin their education by studying the historical relationship between the lotus and Hatayi motifs, reflecting the enduring influence of Jingdezhen on Turkish ceramic culture.

This blue-and-white porcelain vessel celebrates that artistic dialogue by combining the Chinese lotus motif with its Ottoman reinterpretation, the Hatayi pattern. Inspired by the traditional Turkish tear bottle (Gözyaşı Şişesi), the work transforms these shared decorative traditions into a contemporary ceramic form. In addition to the lotus and Hatayi motifs, the upper and central sections of the vessel feature stylized cloud patterns drawn from both Turkish and Chinese artistic traditions. By bringing together ornamental languages unique to each culture, the work symbolizes the enduring friendship and cultural connection between Türkiye and China.