Star-Shaped Tile
Eight-pointed star-shaped tiles often bear Arabic and Persian inscriptions that contain poetry or Qur’anic verses. This particular tile is inscribed with a segment of the Throne Verse, also known as the Ayat-al-Kursi (2:255). The verse, which is thought to have protective properties, is perhaps the most common to be found on objects in many media and time periods (08.169.4; 1978.348.2; 2003.241).This tile would have originally been part of a panel of star- and cross-shaped tiles on an Ilkhanid building, similar to the way it is arranged now. The decoration of such tiles in luster was a complicated technique in which opaque white, blue and turquoise glazes were applied to the ceramic body for the first firing and a copper luster was applied for a second firing. During this period in Iran, lusterware was primarily produced in the city of Kashan.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
