Rituals of Hospitality: Ornamental Trays of the 19th Century in Greece and Turkey

Rituals of Hospitality: Ornamental Trays of the 19th Century in Greece and Turkey

The functions of daily life in the 19th century Ottoman Empire - and in the newly established Kingdom of Greece - placed great emphasis on elaborate rituals of hospitality. Central to these were the serving of coffee and syrupy 'spoon' sweets along with intricate rituals enacted over the presentation and sharing of meals. In this context, a fashion developed for the creation and display of elaborate ornamented trays painted with topographical scenes and figures from Istanbul and across the empire. These paintings - often exquisitely executed by unknown artists - present a remarkably fresh and candid picture of life in late Ottoman Turkey and Greece. They are becoming increasingly prized and sought after by collectors and museums worldwide and this work will be a valuable benchmark and reference for all collectors. It brings together and illustrates several hundred of the finest known examples and decodes the iconography, functions and techniques of the various styles and types. What emerges is a kaleidoscope of colours, flavours and meanings that lie beneath the surface of these objects and which elegantly span the space between east and west, oriental and occidental, functional and ornamental. Flavia Nessi is an art historian and researcher specialising in late Ottoman visual arts.   Myrto Hatzaki is Curator of the Paris Collection of European Art, A. G. Leventis Foundation.