SAFAVID IRAN, 17TH CENTURY

The following four lots form an attractive group of tiles of the ‘cuerda seca’ glaze technique. These tiles would have been originally set within a larger panel, composing an overall pictorial scene. Such panels, often situated in arch spandrels, frequently depicted episodes of courtly leisure set within luxuriant gardens (see for example a complete 17th century panel in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Inv. 139:1 to 4-1891). Each tile within the overall scheme would commonly bear a motif or element, as can be seen in the present examples. The chinoiserie lotuses of Lot 57 are typical of Safavid design in the 17th century; these and other motifs from the courtly repertoire found realisation not only in tile panels but also in miniature paintings and carpets (Porter, 1995, p. 76). Also characteristic is the palette of brilliant blue and chrome yellow with detailing in black. A tile in the Victoria and Albert Museum attributed to Persian craftsmen working in Northern India in the 17th century shows a pair of ibexes closely comparable to ours in Lot 57 (Inv. IS.1-1898).