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Wall tile

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made in Kashan, Iran

Postcard of Wall tile.
000-180-001-235-C
© National Museums Scotland

Wall tile

This ceramic wall tile was made in Kashan, Iran between 1261 and 1263. It comes from Veramin in north-western Iran, where it originally formed part of the tile decoration in the mausoleum of Yahya, a local Muslim holy man. The tile would have been combined with other star-and cross-tiles.

The tile is made of a paste composed of a little quantity of white clay, ground quartz and ground clear glass. The tile was fired with a colourless glaze before the decoration was applied in the form of metal pigments. The tile was then fired again at a lower temperature and in a reducing atmosphere. This process resulted in the metallic lustre sheen of the decoration. The tile is decorated with floral ornamentation in the centre and a border of Koranic inscriptions, including Sura 1 Al-Fatiha and Sura 112 al-Ikhlas.

This tile was made in Kashan, which had been a centre famed for its high-quality, ceramic wares since the early 12th century. Tiles were used throughout the Muslim world to decorate buildings. In a religious context, their decoration would be mainly floral or geometric, but in secular buildings figural imagery can sometimes be found.


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Online ID: 000-180-001-235-C
Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
Project: 0504: National Museums Scotland Part 2
Project description | View all records in project
Ref: National Museums Scotland  A.1889.68
Date: 1261 - 1263
Between 1261 and 1263
Material: Fritware. Inscription: [Koranic inscription]
Dimensions: 12.25" x 12.25"
What: Tile
Subject: Ceramics
Who: Imamzadeh Yahya
Koran (Inscription)
Where: Middle East, Iran, Kashan
Middle East, Iran, Veramin
Middle East, Persia
Persia, Rhages or Re
Event:
Description: Star-shaped tile of fritware, from the mausoleum of the Imamzadeh Yahya, Veramin, decorated with brown metallic lustre of floral motifs and Koranic inscriptions: Persia, Kashan, 1261 - 1263
References:
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