Yıldız Porcelain Factory

Yıldız Porcelain Factory, a museum-factory located in the gardens of Yıldız Park in Istanbul. It was established in 1892-1894 to meet the Ottoman Palace's porcelain needs and to develop the declining art of porcelain. The factory, the oldest facility in Turkey that continues production in this field, is today attached to the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey's Directorate General of National Palaces.

History

The decline of the art of porcelain, one of the most important traditional Turkish arts in the 19th century, had brought the Ottoman State into a largely foreign-dependent situation in this field. The facility was founded on the instruction of Sultan Abdulhamid II in 1892-1894 as Yıldız Çini Fabrika-i Hümâyûnu to meet the porcelain needs of the palace and its surroundings.

The factory began work with technology imported from the French Serves and Limoges companies, and for this purpose expert personnel and porcelain molds were brought from France. The factory, which suffered serious damage in the 1894 Istanbul earthquake, paused production for a time and was repaired by the Italian architect Raimondo D'Aronco.

Vases, wall plates, writing and dining sets, business card plates, covered bowls, trays, ashure trays, sugar bowls, tea and coffee sets and other daily use items were also produced in the factory.

After the deposition of Abdulhamid II the factory’s production was halted, but it was put back into operation in 1911 through the efforts of its former managers. During the War of Independence the factory also produced kaolin cups used to connect telegraph wires, and in 1957 it was transferred to Sümerbank.

The factory, which made important contributions to the synthesis of Western and Anatolian art, continued production in the Republican Era and played an important role in introducing traditional Turkish porcelain art to the world.

Today, the Yıldız Porcelain Factory, which is attached to the TBMM National Palaces Department, produces products for contemporary tastes and needs as well as similar items to those it made in its early period.

Aesthetics and art are primary concerns in production. The production, carried out without compromising quality in order to transfer the past to the present, is largely free from commercial concerns.