Star (Yıldız)
This shield is decorated after the scabbards of an 18th-century Crimean Tatar knife (private collection). It is a rare knife forged by a Crimean craftsman from high-quality Persian Damascus steel. Its decoration shows carved and blackened floral ornaments: clove pinks, tulips, almonds, cotton thistle. The central element of the ornament is the rose. It is one of the main symbols of Crimean Tatar ornamentation. The image of the rose has been used in architecture, embroidery and many other crafts since the time of the Giray’s reign. In Crimean Tatar tradition, the flower symbolises a woman and the curved branches are interpreted as gardens of paradise. The oval relief shape, around which engraved floral ornaments are formed, is typical of the Crimean region from the time of the Golden Horde to the present day. They decorate belts and horse harness details. A stylised motif of a mihrab (a mosque site pointing towards Mecca) is also used, complemented by a three-leaf plant.
The ceramic shield is decorated with a combination of knife scabbard ornaments. The centre of the shield is framed by a five-pointed star, around which elements in the shape of cotton thistle buds and clove pink leaves are arranged in a circle. The edges of the panel are decorated with flowers combined with rose motifs. The arrangement of the elements is similar to the original, in order to preserve the symbolic meaning of the ornaments on this antique knife. The colours chosen for the decoration of the panel are black, red and brown, which emphasise the particularities of the technique and ornamentation.
