Tile panel, Tehran (city), 1887-1888
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1887-1888
Tile panel in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number 561:1 to 57-1888), made in Tehran (city), dated 1887-1888, attributed to Isfahani, Ali Muhammad.
The museum's brief description reads: Middle East, Ceramic, Tile; Tile panel composed of 57 octagonal, square, lozenge or raised border tiles, moulded glazed fritware, with ten scenes of the ancient kings of Iran, inscribed in Persian with their names, four idealised urban scenes, and floral compositions, workshop of `Ali Muhammad…. Museum description: The large panel of 57 fritware tiles, each with a raised moulded border, is composed of two rows of five octagonal tiles all containing narrative scenes from Iranian literature.
Between them is a row of alternating square tiles with landscapes featuring architecture and elongated hexagons with an oval medallion containing a bouquet of roses. These are framed with a continuous border of narrow rectangular tiles. The tiles are The tiles are painted with a border palmettes and scrolling foliage. The octagonal tiles contain the following scenes from left to right, top to bottom: 1 Firdowsi's Shahnameh: Rustam in combat with the White Div 2 Nizami's Khusraw and Shirin: Shirin and her female attendant on horseback racing to meet Farhad at Mount Bisitun 3 Firdowsi's Shahnameh: Rustam lassoes the Khagan of China, who is riding an elephant 4 A Leopard Hunt 5 Jami's Yusuf and Zulaikha: Yusuf's brother throws him into the well 6 Firdowsi's Shahnameh: Bahram Gur hunting with Azade, a slave girl 7… The museum records it as Fritware, underglaze painted in polycrhrome pigment:cobalt blue, green, turquoise, yellow, pink and sepia, outlined in fine black lines under a clear colourless glaze., measuring Length 1.09 m; Width 2.05 m.
These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- 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
Each of the ten large octagonal tiles is a window into the world of Persian poetry. Several depict events in the life of Yusuf, the Biblical Joseph. Others show heroes from the Persian national epic (the Shahnamah), the famous lovers Laila and Majnun, and scenes of hunting and feasting. The smaller tiles in the ensemble are decorated with flowers and depictions of architecture. The scenes are probably based on contemporaneous lithographed editions of classic Iranian poetry and literature. The artists depict the heroes dressed in a hybrid of Sassanian and Qajar costumes, set within Europeanized borders.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- fritware
- Dimensions
- Length 1.09 m; Width 2.05 m
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Fritware, underglaze painted in polycrhrome pigment:cobalt blue, green, turquoise, yellow, pink and sepia, outlined in fine black lines under a clear colourless glaze.
- Maker recorded
- Isfahani, Ali Muhammad
- Place recorded
- Tehran (city)
Identification
- Museum object name
- Tile panel
- Museum object number
- 561:1 to 57-1888
- Museum system number
- O83284
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 catalogue references against a specialist reference.