Where Wonder Comes to Roost
20 November 2022
We’ve been back in the States for a month now, but thanks to the immersive nature of the commission work, the delight of traveling to Türkiye hasn’t diminished for me (Becca). I get to sleep in my own bed and revisit all the photos to analyze form, design, and function? I get to eat my comfort food of rice porridge in the morning and plan out the pottery I’ll throw later that evening? I get to see my friends at work and check in with Nur Hayat on Whatsapp about Menemen, my latest attempt at Turkish cuisine?
The wonders of a wild research trip have come to roost in my daily rhythms. The abounding contentment I feel seems like yet another gift I didn’t know to ask for.
A dear friend and thoughtful colleague asked how the trip surprised me. As I reflected aloud, I realized that though I planned pottery studio visits in Avanos, my current inspiration for the Cappadocian Commission-ed mugs and bowls have sprung from the museums in Amasya and Sinop. An embarrassment of riches from antiquity, these towns’ ceramic collections could rival UChicago’s Oriental Institute.
A Trojan-style cup we saw in Amasya. Thanks for all the historical insight, Çansu!
My first go at the form — I’ve never dared put two handles on a mug. From an aesthetic perspective, it felt too regal? medievally grand? to exist in my Midwestern visual landscapes. Oh well! If it’s good enough for ordinary Trojans…
I marveled at the clay oil lamps, the stone signet rings, and Hittite earthenware pitchers with built-in strainers. Leah and I saw a massive mosaic being carted piece-by-piece from a recently discovered church ruin on the outskirts of Amasya. There were literal treasure troves of gold coins minted under the reigns of Alexander, Justinian, and Suleiman (all hailed “…the Great” in their times).
A Hittite earthenware pitcher with a built-in strainer for filtering out the fermented grain.
On these Byzantine-minted coins, Jesus is portrayed with a halo and scepter on a throne.
What stands out to you as you study these nine-plus-square-feet mosaics?
The longer I look, the more I’m reward with pattern complexities and a staggering sense of awe.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the little thumb-rests on some fabulously two-handled mugs. My potter friends in Indy are forever joking about customers asking for those clay buttons—some things never go out of style, I guess.
A cup in Sinop’s museum — the same as the one where Leah noticed the unlabeled 4th century church mosaics!
Will someone figure this math out for me? Attaching one handle = one portion of time, but attaching two handles = three portions of time?!
In the spirit of that delight, I’d like to invite you to mark your calendars for Friday, December 16, 7-9 pm. Leah and I would love to have you over to our house (nicknamed Annisa, after Macrina’s home) for holiday treats, hot drinks, and informal time together. Then, in addition to picking up your Cappadocian Commission (if you ordered one), you’ll have first dibs on the in-house pottery sale that I’ll open to the public the following day (Dec 17).
A bowl form that caught my eye, both for its shape and the deft, ink-like strokes on the surface.