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Anatolia (Ottoman) · Plant motifs

Karanfil (carnation)

Together with the tulip and the rose, a flower of the Ottoman “four flowers” style.

What does it mean?

In the 16th century, in the style of court illuminator Kara Memi, the carnation was used together with the tulip and the rose [1]. In late Ottoman painted decoration (kalem işi) it also appears alongside motifs such as the rose, tulip, pomegranate and opium poppy in vases [2].

Related plants

  • Clove: The spice that has the same name in Turkish (clove); the motif shows the carnation flower (Dianthus). The two plants are not related.

Same theme

Lale (tulip)Servi (cypress)Hatayi (stylised flower)Penç (rosette)Goncagül (rosebud)Çift dalagan (double nettle)Salkım söğüt (weeping willow)Sümbül (hyacinth)Haşhaş tepelik (poppy finial)Laurel wreath and olive branchBoteh (paisley)Mistletoe and the druids

Sources

  1. “Lâle”, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 2003
  2. Hatice Sümeyye Kurt, “Birgi Karaoğlu Camii Kalemişi Tezyînâtı”, Tevilat 5(1), 2024

Drawing: Bitki Tabanı, interpreted from the traditional motif.