Star-Shaped Tile

This eight-pointed star tile was once part of a panel of star- and cross-shaped tiles adorning the walls of an Ilkhanid building. The central plant, surrounded by abstract vegetal forms that extend fully into each point of the star, was produced in a time-consuming and elaborate process in which copper luster was applied to the tile after its initial firing of blue, turquoise, and white glazes. The text running along the border consists of verses of Persian poetry.

Credit: H.O. Havemeyer Collection, Gift of Horace Havemeyer, 1941