Cleveland Museum of Art

Luster Wall Tile with a Couple

Date

1266

Medium

fritware with luster-painted design

Culture

Iran, Kashan, Ilkhanid period (1256-1353)

Department

Islamic Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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. 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.

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