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Collections

Muqarnas Tilelate 14th century

Not on view
Vertical ceramic tile with vivid turquoise glaze, molded in low relief as a pointed arch niche filled with symmetrical scrolling arabesques and stylized floral motifs
Ceramic architectural tile with vibrant turquoise glaze, arched form with pointed apex enclosing a pierced lattice of interlacing arabesques and stylized floral motifs, mounted on a metal stand.
Ceramic architectural tile fragment with vivid turquoise glaze, mounted on a metal display stand. Carved arabesque and interlacing vegetal scrollwork fills a pointed arch panel; edges show breakage revealing unglazed clay beneath.
Title
Muqarnas Tile
Place Made
Uzbekistan, Samarqand
Date Made
late 14th century
Medium
Earthenware, glazed
Dimensions
12 x 7 5/16 x 5 1/2 in. (30.48 x 18.57 x 13.97 cm)
Credit Line
Purchased with funds provided by the AMEC Council’s “Around Iran” Trip, 2014
Accession Number
M.2014.40
Classification
Ceramics
Collecting Area
Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes

Specifically associated with Islamic architecture, the muqarnas is a three-dimensional decorative element that resembles a honeycomb or stalactite. From the twelfth-century onward, muqarnas were typically used to decorate entrance portals and especially interior spaces in and around domes. Although a modular unit now separated from its original architectural context, this glazed ceramic muqarnas tile still alludes to the stunning effect it would have had when multiplied within larger ensembles with the play of light and shadow across its projected and recessed surfaces.

Selected Bibliography

  • Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.

  • Arts from the Land of Timur: an Exhibition from a Scottish Private Collection. Paisley: Sogdiana Books, 2012.
  • Christie's London. Islamic Art and Manuscripts. April 26, 2005, p. 89. [auction catalog].
  • Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.