Tile, Half Star

Art Historical Context

This half-star tile presents two human figures side by side against a luminous white ground. Their faces are rendered with large dark eyes and delicate features, framed by patterned robes in warm browns and soft turquoise. Arabic inscriptions curve gracefully around the upper and side borders, while a deep blue edge defines the irregular shape. The surface shows the characteristic sheen of luster painting, where metallic pigments catch the light and create subtle shifts in tone. Dated A.H. 616/1218–19 CE, the tile is made of stonepaste with luster painted on an opaque white glaze beneath a transparent colorless glaze. Its unknown maker worked within the refined ceramic traditions of the Islamic world, where such star-shaped tiles often formed part of larger architectural panels in palaces or mosques. The presence of human figures reflects a moment when figural decoration appeared alongside calligraphic and geometric designs. Now in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art through the Rogers Fund, this piece offers visitors a glimpse into the technical mastery and artistic elegance of early thirteenth-century ceramics.