Tile Fragment with Figure in a Niche

Arts of Asia

Ilkhanid dynasty (1256–1353), late 13th/early 14th century

Iran
Probably Takht-e Soleyman

This tile is one of the few instances where all four major types of Islamic ornamentation are used in a single object. Vegetal scrolls are depicted in various shapes and sizes in the background of the piece; calligraphy runs across the central arch; geometric patterning is present on the garment worn by the central figure; and figural imagery related to humans and animals is found both in the person seated beneath the arch and band of running animals at the base of the tile. Also notable are the features of the central figure: a round face with slanted eyes, meant to represent a Turco-Mongol, or Central Asian, face.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of Asia

Culture: Islamic
Title: Tile Fragment with Figure in a Niche
Place: Persia (Artist's nationality:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 1265–1275
Medium: Lusterware, fritware molded and painted in luster and blue over an opaque white glaze
Dimensions: 28.9 × 41.5 × 4.2 cm (11 3/8 × 16 3/8 × 1 5/8 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Joseph L. Valentine
Reference Number: 1939.368
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/30631/manifest.json

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.