Star-Shaped Tile

Art Historical Context

This exquisite star-shaped tile, crafted by an unknown artist in the13th–14th, hails from the Islamic world and exemplifies the architectural splendor of medieval mosques and palaces. Measuring 8 inches high and wide, it forms part of a larger ensemble weighing over 51 pounds, likely designed for intricate wall decorations known as muqarnas or star vaults. Its star form evokes celestial motifs, a recurring theme in Islamic art symbolizing the heavens and divine order. Made of stonepaste—a fine, vitreous ceramic body developed in the Middle East to mimic porcelain—the tile features sophisticated techniques: underglaze painting in vibrant blue and turquoise, topped with luster-painting on an opaque white glaze. This luster creates a shimmering, metallic iridescence that catches the light, a hallmark innovation from 13th-century Iran and Syria. Inscriptions of poetry, hinted at by its tags, would have adorned such tiles, blending artistic beauty with literary elegance. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic Art Department (gift of Horace Havemeyer, 1941), this tile invites visitors to marvel at the fusion of geometry, color, and verse that defined Islamic ceramic mastery, transforming buildings into poetic skies.