LUKE HONEY'S Cabinet of Curiosities

Last year, two Iznik tiles (one 'mid 19th century' in blue and white; the other 17th century 'with a turquoise glaze', with 'small chips and losses' and 'a resin repair') sold for a remarkable £14,500 at Dreweatts, against an estimate of £500-£800.

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The tiles were the property of Robert Kime, the late interior designer, which, of course, explains the final price - in this game, provenance and association are everything. Yet, at the same time, for taste-makers, designers and sophisticated collectors, Iznik pottery continues to be held in the highest regard, just as it was in the late 19th century.

'Iznik' is the name given to the beautiful pottery produced in the Turkish town of Iznik, about 85 miles south-east of Istanbul, and made between the late 15th century and the end of the 17th century. In those days, the Ottoman Empire, which came to power in the 14th century, stretched from Greece and the Balkans in the west, to Turkey in the east. Like the West, the newly established Ottoman Court imported Chinese blue and white porcelain, which was highly prized. And so the mysterious and valuable - Chinese wares began to influence the look of the Ottoman pottery.

The Ottoman potters did not possess the secret of porcelain. Instead, they fired earthenware under a colourless lead glaze. Stylistically, this new 'Iznik' pottery combined arabesque elements with Chinese motifs, including lotus flowers and leafy scrolls.