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Tile from a Squinch

second half 14th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 455
This intricately carved tile exhibits a distinctive curving arched shape that identifies it as a muqarnas element. A muqarnas is a stalactite‑like form that often adorns the interior curves of domes, niches, and portals of Islamic buildings. The precise origin of this tile remains unknown, although it is similar to tiles used at the Shah‑i Zinda funerary complex in Samarqand.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Tile from a Squinch
  • Date: second half 14th century
  • Geography: Attributed to present-day Uzbekistan, Samarqand
  • Medium: Stonepaste; carved and glazed
  • Dimensions: H. 11 5/8 in. (29.5 cm)
    W. 8 5/8 in. 21.9 cm)
    D. 6 3/4 in. (17.1 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics-Tiles
  • Credit Line: The Grinnell Collection, Bequest of William Milne Grinnell, 1920
  • Object Number: 20.120.189
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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Architectural Tile with Partial Inscription, Stonepaste; carved and glazed
Architectural Tile with Partial Inscription
second half 14th century
Mihrab (Prayer Niche), Mosaic of polychrome-glazed cut tiles on stonepaste body; set into mortar
Mihrab (Prayer Niche)
dated 755 AH/1354–55 CE
Turquoise Bowl with Lute Player and Audience, Stonepaste; glazed (opaque monochrome), in-glaze- and overglaze-painted, gilded
Turquoise Bowl with Lute Player and Audience
late 12th–early 13th century
Pierced Jug with Harpies and Sphinxes, Stonepaste; openwork, underglaze-painted, glazed in transparent turquoise
Pierced Jug with Harpies and Sphinxes
dated 612 AH/1215–16 CE
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Pyxis (Cylindrical Container)
late 11th–early 12th century

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