Polychrome Border Tiles with Flowering Vine Motif
Date1938-1939
MediumStonepaste, polychrome pigments
DimensionsOverall (frame with border): 100 3/4 x 63 1/2 in. (255.9 x 161.3cm)
Other (each tile): 6 x 6 in. (15.2 x 15.2cm)
ClassificationsCeramics
Object number48.14.4
DescriptionScrolling, leafy vines border the doors and archways of the central courtyard at Shangri La. This design, commonly called “the arabesque,” is composed of s-shaped tendrils and fan-like leaves. A ubiquitous motif throughout the Islamic world, the arabesque originated from Byzantine and Sasanian designs and gradually developed into a symmetrical, geometric design of abstract leafy scrolls. This tile border, created by craftsmen in Iran during the 1930s, was designed to emulate the artistic style of seventeenth-century Iran. The floral patterns, called khata’i in Persian, incorporate Chinese-inspired lotus scrolls.On View
On viewCollections
18th - 19th century
