A 13th Century star tile from Kashan, Iran

Why Is It Important?

The town of Kashan gave its name to the Persian word for tile; Kashi. It was one of the principal and most famous centres for the production of fine pottery and tiles between the 12th and 14th centuries.

Certain families became very famous and signed their work. In many instances they added their place of origin, thus making it easier to identify this particular school of production.

Cultural Links

Figurative images appear regularly on tiles in Shi'ite (the most commonly practised form of Islam in Iran) shrines. Many such tiles show scenes from love poetry. Human love was seen by many as a symbol for divine love.

However, this view was not universally accepted and especially not by Sunni Muslims. The defaced heads tell us that someone at a later date decided that the artist had not kept to the rule of non-figurative art in Islam.

Kashan tiles of the late 13th tend to be dominated by Chinese inspired designs, whereas earlier in the century representations of the Persian ideal of beauty was the norm comprising moon-shaped faces, long narrow eyes and long locks of hair.

Next : A hexagonal tile from Iznik in Turkey, circa 1535.

Previous : 16th Century tile panel from Damascus.

End Arab Hall Tour.