Stefano Carboni
Department of Islamic Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Qamar Adamjee
Department of Islamic Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
October 2003
Excavations have revealed that the architectural complex of Takht-i Sulaiman (ca. 1270), the summer royal palace of the Ilkhanid ruler Abaqa (r. 1265–82) located in northwestern Iran, was lavishly decorated with tile revetments that covered both the exterior and interior walls of many of its buildings. Exterior tiles, made to better withstand weather conditions, have a simple monochrome glaze and show a combination of interlocking hexagons and stars. Combinations for the interior walls were mostly based on star- and cross-shaped tiles and hexagonal, double-pentagonal, and star tiles. These geometric panels filled the lower part of the walls and were crowned by a single frieze of large square or rectangular tiles. In some cases, the friezes at Takht-i Sulaiman included tiles with inscriptions taken from the Shahnama as well as more generic hunting scenes (10.9.1). The tiles of Takht-i Sulaiman were most likely produced in situ, as confirmed by a mold found during excavations.
The great majority of tiles for the interiors of other Ilkhanid buildings were decorated in the rich luster technique (12.49.4), which made the walls glitter, reflecting the sunlight entering through the windows or the dim glow of oil lamps. Luster painting on tiles had a well-established pre-Mongol tradition in the Iranian city of Kashan. This technique consists of overglaze painting with metallic pigments that, when fired in a reduced-oxygen atmosphere, acquire a lustrous golden or brownish appearance. Panels of star and cross luster-painted tiles covered the walls of many Ilkhanid buildings, mainly in northern Iran. The presence of human figures, animals, and inscriptions quoting Persian poetry suggests that the tiles were employed in leisure palaces and abodes erected for affluent members of the Ilkhanid elite following the example of royal palaces like Takht-i Sulaiman.
Citation
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Takht-i Sulaiman and Tilework in the Ilkhanid Period.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/khan7/hd_khan7.htm (October 2003)
Further Reading
Carboni, Stefano, and Komaroff, Linda, eds. The Legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly Art and Culture in Western Asia, 1256–1353. Exhibition catalogue. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002. See on MetPublications
Masuya, Tomoko. "The Ilkhanid Phase of Takht-i Sulaiman." Ph.D. diss., New York University, 1997.
Watson, Oliver. Persian Lustre Ware. London: Faber and Faber, 1985.
Additional Essays by Stefano Carboni
- Carboni, Stefano. “Venice and the Islamic World: Commercial Exchange, Diplomacy, and Religious Difference.” (March 2007)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Islamic Art and Culture: The Venetian Perspective.” (March 2007)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Venice and the Islamic World, 828–1797.” (March 2007)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Venice’s Principal Muslim Trading Partners: The Mamluks, the Ottomans, and the Safavids.” (March 2007)
- Carboni, Stefano. “A New Visual Language Transmitted Across Asia.” (October 2003)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Courtly Art of the Ilkhanids.” (October 2003)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Folios from the Great Mongol Shahnama (Book of Kings).” (October 2003)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Folios from the Jami‘ al-tavarikh (Compendium of Chronicles).” (October 2003)
- Carboni, Stefano. “The Art of the Book in the Ilkhanid Period.” (October 2003)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Blown Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Cut and Engraved Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Carboni, Stefano. “The Legacy of Genghis Khan.” (October 2003)
- Carboni, Stefano. “The Mongolian Tent in the Ilkhanid Period.” (October 2003)
- Carboni, Stefano. “The Religious Arts under the Ilkhanids.” (October 2003)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Enameled and Gilded Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Glass with Mold-Blown Decoration from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Hot-worked Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Mosaic Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Stained (Luster-Painted) Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Additional Essays by Qamar Adamjee
- Adamjee, Qamar. “A New Visual Language Transmitted Across Asia.” (October 2003)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Courtly Art of the Ilkhanids.” (October 2003)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Folios from the Great Mongol Shahnama (Book of Kings).” (October 2003)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Folios from the Jami‘ al-tavarikh (Compendium of Chronicles).” (October 2003)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “The Art of the Book in the Ilkhanid Period.” (October 2003)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Blown Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Cut and Engraved Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “The Legacy of Genghis Khan.” (October 2003)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “The Mongolian Tent in the Ilkhanid Period.” (October 2003)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Enameled and Gilded Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “The Religious Arts under the Ilkhanids.” (October 2003)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Glass with Mold-Blown Decoration from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Hot-worked Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Mosaic Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Stained (Luster-Painted) Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Related Essays
- The Art of the Ilkhanid Period (1256–1353)
- Calligraphy in Islamic Art
- Figural Representation in Islamic Art
- Geometric Patterns in Islamic Art
- The Art of the Book in the Ilkhanid Period
- The Arts of Iran, 1600–1800
- Byzantine Art under Islam
- Constantinople after 1261
- Courtly Art of the Ilkhanids
- Folios from the Jami‘ al-tavarikh (Compendium of Chronicles)
- Folios from the Great Mongol Shahnama (Book of Kings)
- The Legacy of Genghis Khan
- The Mongolian Tent in the Ilkhanid Period
- Mosaic Glass from Islamic Lands
- A New Visual Language Transmitted Across Asia
- The Religious Arts under the Ilkhanids
- Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368)