Islamic tile. Iran, Kashan, 13th century.
Glazed ceramic.
Very good state of preservation.
Measurements: 20.5 x 20.5 x 1 cm.
Kashan, south of Tehran, was the most important ceramic centre of ancient Persia, where work of a high technical and artistic standard was produced in the 13th and 14th centuries. Complete genealogies of pottery-making families are known, which continued for 400 years. Vases and tiles made in Kashan merited special mention in the lists prepared after the conquest of Baghdad by Hulagu Khan in 1258. A large number of tiles were also produced for use in the decoration of the walls of mosques and tombs. These tiles were made with finely painted patterns, also with figures in the form of crosses and stars, which were coupled together to form intricate motifs. Situated on the main route through northern Persia, Rayy (Rages) was, along with Kashan, one of the great centres of production of a wide variety of ceramics. It was the main centre for the production of carved monochrome pottery, often known as Seljuk ware. Rakka was an ancient caravan city on the Euphrates in northern Mesopotamia and was a major production centre closely related to the style of vessels made in Cairo. Three major developments in the pottery of the period allow for the proper division of pottery types. First, a fine, semi-vitrified white paste, similar to porcelain, was artificially used for the production of white or coloured ceramics, which form the bulk of the so-called Seljuq ceramics; second, richly coloured and finely painted decoration was developed; and third, alkaline glaze was introduced on a large scale, for the production of the famous vivid turquoise-blue ceramics.