Tile from an Inscriptional Frieze

Unknown artist

Inscribed: '[Blessings] upon the Prophet' - possibly from Qur'an 33:56 This tile exhibits the use of a rare glaze technique referred to as 'lajvardina'. After a first firing to establish the dark blue or turquoise underglaze background, these tiles were subjected to a second firing to set the carefully cut and placed pieces of gold leaf, creating glittering floral and geometric patterns. In this example, the inscription once was covered entirely in gold.