Object Details
Culture
Iran, Natanz
Date
ca. 1308
Medium
Earthenware with lustre decoration and blue glaze
Dimensions
14 11/16 × 14 5/16 inches (37.3 × 36.4 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund
Object
Number
2011.086
This tile originates from a known group that once adorned the shrine of ‘Abd al-Samad at Natanz. T(…)
This tile originates from a known group that once adorned the shrine of ‘Abd al-Samad at Natanz. Together these tiles formed a frieze of Qur’anic inscriptions and reflect differing points of view regarding the restriction of figural imagery within the mosque context. Apparently the designs were acceptable at the time of their installation but later suffered during a period of iconoclasm, when the heads of the birds were deliberately defaced. The inscription translates as “we feed you” and comes from Surah 76 (The Man), the beginning of verse 10, and refers to the act of providing food to the needy.
