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Lot Essay
This tile forms the upper half of a so-called Kaaba tile. Although the function of tiles which depict the Holy Shrines are unknown, they may have been intended to decorate walls in houses or palaces, possibly marking the status of the owner as someone who had performed the pilgrimage. Some Mecca tiles are still found in situ in mosques, usually on the qibla wall, intended to draw the eyes of the faithful in the direction of prayer (Venetia Porter (ed.), Hajj. Journey to the Heart of Islam, exhibition catalogue, 2012, p.118).
The various Iznik tiles of Mecca and Medina show considerable variety in their portrayal of the Holy Shrines. Ours is stylistically closest to one in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, which depicts Medina (https://universes.art/en/art-destinations/berlin/museum-of-islamic-art/photo-tour/ceramic-tiles-vessels). Like ours that has spandrels with arabesque in white reserved against a blue/turquoise ground, strapwork borders (albeit on different scale), a central blue roundel containing the word Allah in white, and further inscription in a spidery black script – on ours reading Muhammad, on the Pergamon tile, much more extensive. The Pergamon tile is dated 1651-52 AD suggesting a similar dating for ours. Whilst the earliest known tiled depiction of Mecca is on the eastern wall of the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul and dated 1642 AD, examples are known into the 18th century. Blair and Bloom suggest that the majority of tiles depicting the Kaaba were probably produced between 1640-75 (S. Blair and J. Bloom, The Art and Architecture of Islam, 1250-1800, London, 1994, p.247). The script with which the central word Muhammad is written on our tile can also be seen on a Mecca tile in the Benaki Museum, Athens and exhibited in the Hajj exhibition in London (Porter (ed.), op.cit, p.117, fig.78). Like our tile that also uses a somewhat greeny turquoise colour for elements of its decoration. That too is attributed to the 17th century.
Although one cannot see the entirety of the Holy Shrine in our tile we can say with certainty that it is Mecca. In tiles that depict Medina, such as that in the Pergamon, you can see a domed structure, top left, which would have been partly visible here. See also an example in the Sadberk Hanim Museum (published Ara Altun, John Carswell and Gönῡl Öney, Turkish Tiles and Ceramics, Istanbul, 1991, p.46, no.I.77). Mountains, as are seen on our tile, are also more commonly found on images of Mecca than they are of Medina, where one would more normally expect trees or plants. The depiction of the minarets and upper crenulations on the wall in our tile also relate very closely to those depicted on a tile at the Yeni Calide Cami in Istanbul (https://pbase.com/dosseman/image/115138381).
The various Iznik tiles of Mecca and Medina show considerable variety in their portrayal of the Holy Shrines. Ours is stylistically closest to one in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, which depicts Medina (https://universes.art/en/art-destinations/berlin/museum-of-islamic-art/photo-tour/ceramic-tiles-vessels). Like ours that has spandrels with arabesque in white reserved against a blue/turquoise ground, strapwork borders (albeit on different scale), a central blue roundel containing the word Allah in white, and further inscription in a spidery black script – on ours reading Muhammad, on the Pergamon tile, much more extensive. The Pergamon tile is dated 1651-52 AD suggesting a similar dating for ours. Whilst the earliest known tiled depiction of Mecca is on the eastern wall of the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul and dated 1642 AD, examples are known into the 18th century. Blair and Bloom suggest that the majority of tiles depicting the Kaaba were probably produced between 1640-75 (S. Blair and J. Bloom, The Art and Architecture of Islam, 1250-1800, London, 1994, p.247). The script with which the central word Muhammad is written on our tile can also be seen on a Mecca tile in the Benaki Museum, Athens and exhibited in the Hajj exhibition in London (Porter (ed.), op.cit, p.117, fig.78). Like our tile that also uses a somewhat greeny turquoise colour for elements of its decoration. That too is attributed to the 17th century.
Although one cannot see the entirety of the Holy Shrine in our tile we can say with certainty that it is Mecca. In tiles that depict Medina, such as that in the Pergamon, you can see a domed structure, top left, which would have been partly visible here. See also an example in the Sadberk Hanim Museum (published Ara Altun, John Carswell and Gönῡl Öney, Turkish Tiles and Ceramics, Istanbul, 1991, p.46, no.I.77). Mountains, as are seen on our tile, are also more commonly found on images of Mecca than they are of Medina, where one would more normally expect trees or plants. The depiction of the minarets and upper crenulations on the wall in our tile also relate very closely to those depicted on a tile at the Yeni Calide Cami in Istanbul (https://pbase.com/dosseman/image/115138381).