Tile Panel
Unknown Artist
second half 16th century
Medium
Stonepaste; polychrome painted under transparent glaze.
Dimensions
H. 53 5/16 in. (135.1 cm) W. 53 9/16 in. (136 cm) D. 2 3/8 in. (6 cm) with tabs Wt. 194 lbs. (88 kg)
Classification
Ceramics-Tiles
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.190.2083
Tags
Art Historical Context
This stunning Tile Panel from the second half of the 16th century exemplifies the mastery of Islamic ceramic artists. Crafted from stonepaste and vividly painted in multiple colors under a transparent glaze, the nearly square panel—standing over four feet high and wide—features intricate designs of flowers leaves. Though the artist remains unknown, the work reflects the era's sophisticated techniques in creating durable, colorful architectural elements. The use of stonepaste, a composite of clay, quartz, and frit, provided a fine white ground for the polychrome underglaze decoration, allowing...