Section of a Tile Frieze, from Öljeitü's Mausoleum

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Section of a Tile Frieze, from Öljeitü's Mausoleum

Iran, Sultaniyya, 1307-1313
Ceramics
Earthenware, glazed, cut and assembled as a mosaic
7 1/8 x 10 7/8 in. (18.1 x 27.6 cm)
The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost (M.2002.1.344)
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

Of the principal capitals of the Mongol Ilkhanid dynasty (1256-1353), only Sultaniyya, still preserves a major royal monument, the mausoleum of Sultan Öljeitü (r....
Of the principal capitals of the Mongol Ilkhanid dynasty (1256-1353), only Sultaniyya, still preserves a major royal monument, the mausoleum of Sultan Öljeitü (r. 1304-16), who transferred the seat of government to this former summer residence, in Northwestern Iran. Once part of a larger complex, the mausoleum was extensively decorated with colorful tilework, including a frieze on the lower section in the southern rectangular chamber from which this section must have come. Here, the foliate design is picked out in cobalt blue, turquoise and white from precut pieces of glazed tile, assembled like a mosaic.
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Bibliography

  • The Legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly Art and Culture and Western Asia, 1256-1353.  New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002