Lot Essay
In addition to the inscriptions mentioned in the text above, the capitals are inscribed "The sovreignty is for God, the One, the All-Compelling One". The border is from the Qur'an, sura cxii.
The pottery mihrabs from thirteenth and fourteenth century Kashan are among the most impressive pottery products ever produced. The size of the tiles, with considerable variance in thickness, meant that these were far from stable in the firing process. An indication of this is given by the various firing cracks around the raised spandrels which are considerably thicker than the rest of the tile. The size of the tiles must also have meant that it was difficult to control the passage of air through the kiln over the tile to ensure the very even lustre effect seen here.
The pottery mihrabs from thirteenth and fourteenth century Kashan are among the most impressive pottery products ever produced. The size of the tiles, with considerable variance in thickness, meant that these were far from stable in the firing process. An indication of this is given by the various firing cracks around the raised spandrels which are considerably thicker than the rest of the tile. The size of the tiles must also have meant that it was difficult to control the passage of air through the kiln over the tile to ensure the very even lustre effect seen here.