Boutique

Beginning from the Early Islamic period, tombac-making technique has been widely used by the Turks, and many exquisite tombac artifacts had been produced especially during the Ottoman period. Tombac is the name given to technique used to produce copper and copper alloy wares coated with a gold-mercury mixture. Tombac-making occurs when 24-carat gold dust is completely dissolved in mercury, then filtered and brushed on the surface to be covered with tombac, finally fired at low temperatures in ovens to ensure mercury to evaporate. The essence of tombac-making is to ensure the gold in the mercury mixture to penetrate through the pores of the copper and coat the copper surface durably. Adorning the collections of both local and international museums today, a number of the most invaluable tombac artifacts have been taken out of Turkey in various ways, some of which are questionable. The design of the Istanbul Decorated Bottle draws its inspiration from a gülabdan (rosewater sprinkler) dating from 1764. The bottle is decorated with a composition of floral patterns with traditional ornamentation and abstraction styles. The original work is on display at the Benaki Museum in Athens, Greece. Istanbul Decorated Bottle is produced from handmade glass and all of the relief patterns are decorated with 24-carat gold and antiquated paints.