Luster Wall Tile with a Couple, Iran, Kashan, Ilkhanid period (1256-1353), 1266
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1266
The design of this tile-a couple with a wine beaker surrounded by verses of Iranian love poetry-indicates that it was originally part of wall decoration and would have alternated with cross-shaped tiles.
Cleveland Museum of Art object 1915.524: Luster Wall Tile with a Couple, 1266. Iran, Kashan, Ilkhanid period (1256-1353). Fritware with luster-painted design; overall: 19.5 x 16 cm (7 11/16 x 6 5/16 in.). Inscribed: Top reading R to L: (1) Rubāʿī: TEXT: zulfat ki hizār zangī afzūn dārad——————bar turk-i khitā ʿazm-i shabīkhūn dārad v'ān zangī laʿl duzd-i mutvāri-rā——————āvikht-i dār ki basi khūn dārad. TRANSLATION: Your tresses, which possess over a thousand Zangis (Zanjis, black slave-soldiers, i.e. more than a thousand strands of hair) Are bent on a surprise night time charge against the Cathay Turks (handsome slave-soldier boys redolent of musk) And (as for) that ruby stealing (disheveled) Zangi in hiding Have him hanged for he has plenty of blood on his hands.
(2) Rubāʿī: these verses start immediately after the last verses, on the left hand side going down: TEXT: zulfat ki chu afʿī pay-i sharr mi-gardad———dāni pas-i pushtat bi-chi bar migardad chun dīd ki laʿl to [zumurrud bigrift————vahshī shud u bar kuh u kamar migardad.] TRANSLATION: Your hair (tresses), which viper-like is bent on mischief, do you know why it returns behind your back? When it saw that your ruby (lips) has (now) an emerald (down appearing above the lips), it became wild (lost all senses) and wanders on the mountain side..
Details are those of this museum object; how far it represents a wider type has not been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 2
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Where fine clay was unavailable, potters made a paste out of ground quartz, clay, and glass. When fired, the paste created a compact white material called fritware that approximated the appearance of porcelain.
Physical characteristics
- Materials
- fritware with luster-painted design
- Dimensions
- Overall: 19.5 x 16 cm (7 11/16 x 6 5/16 in.)
- Measurements
- Overall: 19.5 x 16 cm (7 11/16 x 6 5/16 in.)
- Material and technique
- fritware with luster-painted design
Design
- Inscription
- Top reading R to L: (1) Rubāʿī: TEXT: zulfat ki hizār zangī afzūn dārad——————bar turk-i khitā ʿazm-i shabīkhūn dārad v'ān zangī laʿl duzd-i mutvāri-rā——————āvikht-i dār ki basi khūn dārad. TRANSLATION: Your tresses, which possess over a thousand Zangis (Zanjis, black slave-soldiers, i.e. more than a thousand strands of hair) Are bent on a surprise night time charge against the Cathay Turks (handsome slave-soldier boys redolent of musk) And (as for) that ruby stealing (disheveled) Zangi in hiding Have him hanged for he has plenty of blood on his hands. (2) Rubāʿī: these verses start immediately after the last verses, on the left hand side going down: TEXT: zulfat ki chu afʿī pay-i sharr mi-gardad———dāni pas-i pushtat bi-chi bar migardad chun dīd ki laʿl to [zumurrud bigrift————vahshī shud u bar kuh u kamar migardad.] TRANSLATION: Your hair (tresses), which viper-like is bent on mischief, do you know why it returns behind your back? When it saw that your ruby (lips) has (now) an emerald (down appearing above the lips), it became wild (lost all senses) and wanders on the mountain side.
Identification
- Date recorded
- 1266
- Culture period
- Iran, Kashan, Ilkhanid period (1256-1353)
- Museum attribution
- Iran, Kashan, Ilkhanid period (1256-1353)
- Museum object name
- Ceramic
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Museum object number
- 1915.524
- Published references
- The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 704 Persian Art Before And After the Mongol Conquest.: [Exhibition] April 9-May 17, 1959. the University of Michigan, Museum of Art, Ann Arbor . Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan, Museum of Art, 1959. Mentioned: cat. no. 106, p. 39; Reproduced: p. 64 The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966 . Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 212 The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969 . Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 212 The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978 . Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 268 Gertsman, Elina and Barbara H. Rosenwein. The Middle Ages in 50 Objects . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. Mentioned: pp. 130-133; Reproduced: p. 131
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and date against a specialist reference.