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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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Garden Gathering, Stonepaste; painted and polychrome glazed (cuerda seca technique)
Garden Gathering
1640–50
"Farhad Carves a Milk Channel for Shirin", Folio 74 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja, Nizami, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
"Farhad Carves a Milk Channel for Shirin", Folio 74 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja
Multiple artists/makers
dated 931 AH/1524–25 CE
Folio from the "Qur'an of `Umar Aqta', `Umar Aqta', Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Folio from the "Qur'an of `Umar Aqta'
Calligrapher `Umar Aqta'
late 14th–early 15th century (before 1405)
Ceiling tiles, Tin-glazed earthenware, Spanish, Seville
Ceiling tiles
Spanish, Seville
mid-16th century

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