Turkish Islamic Kutahya Ceramic Figurine Of Nasreddin Hodja

A handmade circa 1950 polychrome Turkish Kutahya ceramic figurine depicting Nasreddin Hodja riding his donkey backward.

Nasreddin Mullah or Nasreddin Hodja was a Seljuq satirist , born in Hortu Village in present-day Turkey and died in 13th century in Aksehir , near Konya , a capital of the, Seljuk Sultanate of Rum in today's Turkey He is considered a philosopher,Sufi , and wise man, remembered for his funny stories and anecdotes .He appears in thousands of stories, sometimes witty, sometimes wise, but often, too, a fool or the butt of a joke. A Nasreddin story usually has a subtle humor and a pedagogic nature.

Over the years the number of Nasreddin Hodja stories have increased significantly as his tales spread to new lands, where the stories were adopted and modified, told and retold, and became part of the region’s folklore. Today, his stories range in several hundreds. Though not all of them are authentic, they are all part of the Hodja folklore.

A few of his anecdotes have been translated into English

One day Nasreddin Hodja was riding his donkey backward, facing towards the back. "Hodja," the people said, "You are sitting on your donkey backwards!" "Oh no," he replied, "It's not that I am sitting on the donkey backwards, the donkey is facing the wrong way.

"Hodja," one Mullah asked. "Is this not an undignified way for an Imam to travel. Why are you sitting like that? “Hodja explained that he had chosen the most logical way to sit: "If I sat facing forwards, you would be hidden behind me. And if you chose to walk in front of the donkey, I would be hidden behind you. Either way, it would not work so we Sometimes Hodja would make a fool out of himself to humor others.

One day, Hodja climbed a tree, sat on a branch, and began cutting the very branch he sat on.
A passerby saw him and yelled, “What are you doing? You are going to fall down.”
Hodja ignored the man and kept on axing the branch. Sure enough, the branch broke and he fell to the ground. In spite of the bruises, Hodja got up and ran to the man.
”Hey you! Since you knew I was going to fall, you should be able to tell me when I will die,” Hodja told the man and wouldn’t let him go without an answer.

SOURCE: Comparable examples of the Turkish Kutahya ceramic figurines, are in the collection of the Pera Museum in Istanbul, Turkey

Please see the links below:

https://wsimag.com/food-and-wine/25479-coffee-brea...

https://www.peramuseum.org/Collection/Kutahya-Tile...

CONDITION: In good condition, no restorations, or repairs.

MEASUREMENTS:

Height: 14 cm (5.51 inches)

Length: 11.5 cm (4.53 inches)