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Lot Essay
These impressive Damascus tiles are striking for the elegant use of nasta’liq. A panel of tiles in the tomb of Salah al-Din Yusuf bin Ayyub (or Saladin) in Damascus have a similar feature. Although the tomb was constructed in 1193, three years after Saladin’s death, the tiles bear the date of AH 1027/1618-19 AD, indicating that that was then that the building was refurbished (Arthur Millner, Damascus Tiles, Munich, London and New York, 2015, fig.4.57, p.166). Decorated with an inscription in nasta’liq and thuluth, the tiles are executed entirely in blue and white, without the apple green that we see on our panel. The overall impression is that the inscription is not as strong and clear as ours, and ours may pre-date it. Our panel relates more closely however to one in the Louvre, there on long term loan from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Sophie Markariou (ed.), Islamic Art at the Musée du Louvre, Paris, 2012, no.196, p.326). Like ours the Louvre panel has a blue nasta’liq inscription on white ground within a border of green and cobalt-blue palmettes. It is so similar to ours that the two panels must once have decorated the same original structure. The Louvre panel is attributed to the late 16th/early 17th century.
Although predominantly associated with the Persian world, nasta’liq was also used in the Ottoman empire for monumental inscriptions. The Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, as well as many public monuments, are decorated with many inscriptions in the script. The Darwishyya Mosque in Damascus, third quarter 16th century, has two arched panels with similar inscription, as well as mihrab panels which also have nasta’liq calligraphy (Millner, 2015, figs. 4.23-4.26, pp.139-140). Poetic inscriptions, as well as those of good wishes or adages in Arabic, copied in nasta’liq were used in the painted wood decoration from opulent Syrian residences (Markariou, 2012, p.328). The inscription here, which clearly refers to a house, indicates that our panel, and its counterpart in the Louvre, were produced for one such private residence.
A single Damascus tile with a nasta’liq inscription sold at Christie’s, South Kensington, 7 October 2011, lot 514, dated there to the second half of the 16th century. A larger mihrab tile panel dateable to circa 1574, sold in Christie's London, 4 April 2006, lot 100. That had the shahada written in a stylised white nasta’liq within a hanging mosque lamp.
Although predominantly associated with the Persian world, nasta’liq was also used in the Ottoman empire for monumental inscriptions. The Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, as well as many public monuments, are decorated with many inscriptions in the script. The Darwishyya Mosque in Damascus, third quarter 16th century, has two arched panels with similar inscription, as well as mihrab panels which also have nasta’liq calligraphy (Millner, 2015, figs. 4.23-4.26, pp.139-140). Poetic inscriptions, as well as those of good wishes or adages in Arabic, copied in nasta’liq were used in the painted wood decoration from opulent Syrian residences (Markariou, 2012, p.328). The inscription here, which clearly refers to a house, indicates that our panel, and its counterpart in the Louvre, were produced for one such private residence.
A single Damascus tile with a nasta’liq inscription sold at Christie’s, South Kensington, 7 October 2011, lot 514, dated there to the second half of the 16th century. A larger mihrab tile panel dateable to circa 1574, sold in Christie's London, 4 April 2006, lot 100. That had the shahada written in a stylised white nasta’liq within a hanging mosque lamp.