Border tile — tile, Punjab (India), ca. 1650 (CIRC.1306-1923)
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca. 1650
Border tile in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number CIRC.1306-1923), made in Punjab (India), dated ca. 1650. The museum's brief description reads: Architecture, ceramic, prob Lahore, ca. 1650. Museum description: Glazed earthenware rectangular border tile with a central orange band between two narrower green bands and yellow margins. The central band is decorated with a green foliated scroll and a yellow arabesque which are connected by alternate flower heads facing up and down with blue petals edged in white. The museum records it as Earthenware with cuerda seca decoration, measuring Height 24.2 cm; Width 40.1 cm; Depth 4.6 cm. 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
This Mughal glazed earthenware border tile is one of a group acquired in 1923 from Mr Frederick H. Andrews. He had been living in Srinagar as Director of the Technical Institute of Kashmir, and wrote to the museum in 1922 offering to sell his collection before he left that year to return to the UK. The tiles are said to have come from the tomb of Madani near But Kadal in Srinagar, Kashmir. The building dates from the mid-fifteenth century, but was refurbished by a Mughal nobleman in the reign of Shah Jahan (1628-58).
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Earthenware (red), enamel paint
- Dimensions
- Height 24.2 cm; Width 40.1 cm; Depth 4.6 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Earthenware with cuerda seca decoration
- Place recorded
- Punjab (India)
Identification
- Museum object name
- Border tile
- Museum object number
- CIRC.1306-1923
- Museum system number
- O403352
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.