During the conservation of the Çinili Hamas which took place from 2010-23, fragments of tiles were found under and above the wall plaster, including several pieces of the same design as this tile (see Özbay and Şengozer, Barbarossa’s Cinili Hamam: A Masterpiece by Sinan, 2023, figs. 4.6e and 4.7 pattern 20). Exactly where this tile design was placed within the hamam is unclear, it is certain that both the men’s and women’s sections were decorated in this fashion, and hexagonal tiles appear to have been used side-by-side to create uninterrupted walls of a single design (opp, cit, pp. 192-7).
The basic design of the tile was clearly popular among the potters of Iznik and their clients. With a pattern spread over two tiles rather than one and with mossy green added to the palette, a contemporary tile panel in the David Collection employs the same elegant prunus along with the non-natural serrated leaves and tulips at the base, and both may have been inspired by the arts of the book (see Atasoy and Raby 1989, figs. 229-30, pp. 134-5). A blue-ground dish in the British Museum, made half a century later, uses a slightly simplified version of the same design (see J. Carswell, 1988, fig. 56 pp. 80-1).
The Çinili Hamam’s patron was none other than the great kapudan-i derya (Admiral) Hayreddin Pasha, better known in the West as Barbarossa. He was one of the most important characters of the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent, leading Ottoman naval forces across the Mediterranean from around 1510 until his death in 1546. That his hamam was constructed in the prestigious Zeyrek district of Istanbul was a testament to his importance, with the endowment deed of 1534 stating that the Sultan himself had reserved access to the nearby aqueduct’s water for the Hamam’s use (see opp. cit, pp. 78-9). As a key figure at the Ottoman court, Barbarossa was given access to both Sinan, the greatest architect of the time, as well as the Nakkaşhane (imperial painters’ workshop) which provided designs for the tiles. The baths were adjacent to the mansions of palace dignitaries as well as easily accessible from nearby main roads, making it an easy source of money to be provided to Barbarossa’s charitable foundations elsewhere in the city (ibid, pp. 181-4). Sinan himself was a pioneer in including tiles within the overall architectural scheme of buildings, as seen in the Çinili Hamam, and may even have been in charge of the Iznik ceramic industry in this period [Necipoğlu 1990, pp. 154-5].
Originally named after its patron or his titles as Admiral, the name by which the hamam is now known derives from the extensive tilework (‘Çinili’ means ‘tiled’), which distinguished it from other baths of the period which lacked extensive tile decoration. Such was the impression made by the tiles that one of the leading Ottoman poets of the day praised them on the occasion of the Hamam’s opening, suggesting that they had overcome even the ‘beautiful ones of China’. Although it was considered one of the preeminent baths of Istanbul during the 16th and 17th century, the Çinili Hamam was damaged by fires during the 18th century and finally destroyed by fire in 1833, passing through multiple hands thereafter (see opp. cit, 2023, pp. 82-91). After an extensive process of restoration, the hamam has now reopened, along with a small museum including both archaeological finds and the tile fragments found under the plaster. In its new state, it truly reflects the sentiment of the poetry found on some of the surviving tiles:
“The area of the bath is like Paradise/Although its foundations are made of clay and bricks” (see opp. cit, p. 43].
