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A flat, lusterware tile that is in the shape of an eight pointed star. It is colored a dark brown/grey with a white, patterned band framing the inside of the star shape. White lines make a symmetrical, swirling floral pattern in the center of the piece.

A flat, lusterware tile that is in the shape of an eight pointed star on a white background. It is colored a dark brown/grey with a white, patterned band framing the inside of the star shape. The white band has dark, thin Arabic writing throughout. White lines make a symmetrical, swirling floral pattern in the center of the piece with large leaves surrounding smaller, rounded leaves. There are small swirls in between the larger patterning.

Gallery Text

Perhaps the most important contribution of Muslim potters, the application of luster to a ceramic surface was not limited to vessels. As early as the ninth century, this costly technique was applied to wall tiles to distinguish parts of buildings. In the eastern Islamic lands during the medieval era, the use of colored tiles — decorated with luster but with other techniques as well — increased in complexity and scope. In both religious and secular buildings, large surface areas came to be sheathed in brilliant ceramic revetments. The use of glazed ceramics for architectural decoration continued into the early modern era, culminating in the great monuments of the Safavid and Ottoman Empires.

The luster tiles gathered here would have been integrated into the decoration of buildings of the Seljuk-Atabeg (1037–c. 1220) and Ilkhanid (1256–1335) periods. Although the star tiles bear self-contained designs, they were intended to interlock with cruciform tiles in a grid. Three of the tiles feature inscriptions. The two large stars, which were probably intended for the interior of a religious shrine, reproduce verses from the Qurʾan in Arabic. The tile with figural imagery bears fragments of poetry in Persian, demonstrating the revival of Persian as a literary language in the medieval era.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1931.127
Title
Star Tile with Vegetal Motifs and Inscription
Classification
Architectural Elements
Work Type
architectural element
Date
1261-1262
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Iran, Kashan
Period
Ilkhanid period
Culture
Persian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/216476

Location

Location
Level 2, Room 2550, Art from Islamic Lands, The Middle East and North Africa
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Composite body, underglaze painted with overglaze luster
Technique
Lusterware
Dimensions
Diam. 31 x 1.5 cm (12 3/16 x 9/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Denman Waldo Ross, Cambridge, MA, (by 1931), gift; to Fogg Art Museum, 1931.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Dr. Denman W. Ross
Accession Year
1931
Object Number
1931.127
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
The tile is from the Imamzada Yahya shrine in Varamin. The inscriptions begin with the Basmala followed by Qurʾan 17:78-81. The date 660 H. (1261-1262) is inscribed on tile 1931.128.

Exhibition History

  • Islamic Art From the Collections of the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 08/01/1974
  • Enter Ye the Garden: Prayer Rugs of Islam, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 05/26/1989 - 08/20/1989
  • Islamic Art: The Power of Pattern, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 09/23/1989 - 01/17/1990
  • Pattern and Purpose. Decorative Arts of Islam., Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 02/19/1994 - 07/03/1994
  • 32Q: 2550 Islamic, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu