Tile Fragment
Unknown Artist
1334–1434
Medium
Stonepaste; polychrome painted under transparent glaze
Classification
Ceramics-Tiles
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1945
Accession Number
45.103.12
Art Historical Context
This exquisite tile fragment, dating to the 14th century (1334–4), hails from the Islamic world, likely Persia or a neighboring region during a golden age of architectural decoration. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1945, it now graces the Metropolitan Museum of Art Islamic Art department. Such fragments were integral to opulent mosque and palace interiors, where vast tiled surfaces transformed sacred and secular spaces into shimmering displays of geometry, flora, and script—hallmarks of medieval Islamic aesthetics. Crafted in stonepaste (also known as fritware), a sophisticated ceramic b...