Thread by @BaytAlFann

Eight-pointed star tiles decorated walls of shrines, mosques & palaces in Iran.

Many of these tiles were taken by archaeologists & are found scattered across the world in museums & collections, fragmented & decontextualized.

A thread on beautiful Iranian star tiles in museums…

1. Eight-pointed Star Tile, Date 1262 (AH Muharram 661)
Dynasty: Il-Khanid Dynasty (1256-1353) or earlier
Made in Iran

Kashan (probable place of creation)
Imamzada Yahya shrine (original location)

@AshmoleanMuseum

2. Eight-pointed Star-Shaped Tile, second half 13th–14th century, Iran

decorated using a method called lajvardina, a term that references lapis lazuli, & would have been part of a star-and-cross panel adorning the walls of an Ilkhanid palace, mosque, or mausoleum.

@metmuseum

3. Eight-pointed Star Tile, Date 13th century
Made in Iran, Asia
Dynasty: Il-Khanid Dynasty (1256-1353) or earlier

This tile would have been part of a shrine or mosque

@philamuseum

4. Eight-pointed Star Tile, Date 1286-7, Iran, Kashan.
Tile of grey fritware, painted in blue & in yellow lustre on a white slip

With Qur’anic inscription - surahs 108 & 110 کتب فی شهور سنه 685

This tile would have been part of a shrine or mosque

@V_and_A

5. Eighth-pointed star tile, c. 1261–62, Kashan, Ilkhanid period, 13th century

Luster tiles such as this one, with their metallic glaze, lined the walls of religious & secular buildings, reflecting a golden incandescence. Possibly from interior of Imamzada Yahya shrine.

@MFAH

6. Eight-pointed Star Tile, Kashan, Iran
late 13th century AD

Tiles with dragons & hares. The treatment of the animals is similar to tiles dated 664–5 AH (1266–7 AD) from the Imamzadeh Ja‘far at Damghan, Iran.

@KhaliliOnline

7. Eight-pointed Star Tile with Vegetal Motifs and Inscription
Date, 1261-1262, Iran, Kashan, Ilkhanid period

The two large stars, which were possibly from interior of a Imamzada Yahya shrine with verses from the Qurʾan in Arabic.

@PhiladelphiaOf

8. Eight-pointed star tile with Chinese-inspired lotus design.
Dated 1328 (dated AD) Kashan, Iran

Around the edge is a border inscription in Arabic cursive script,
Ilkhanid dynasty.

This tile would have been part of a shrine or mosque.

@britishmuseum

9. Eight-pointed star tile, 1266 Iran, Kashan, Ilkhanid period, 13th century

Luster Wall Tile with a Couple. Around the edge is a border inscription with poem. Tiles such tiles like this were used to decorate the interior walls of palaces & buildings.

@ClevelandArt

10. Eight-pointed Star Tile with Vegetal Motifs and Inscription
Date, 1261-1262/660 A. Iran, Kashan, Ilkhanid period

Fritware, overglaze luster-painted

Possibly from interior of Imamzada Yahya shrine with verses from the Qurʾan in Arabic

@LACMA

11. Eight-pointed Star Tile, 13th-14th century, Iran, Ilkhanid Period

Depicting a deer & with a border & inscription, would have formed one unit of a star & cross tile dado embellishing a Sufi shrine. Texts from 12th-century mystic poet Awhad al-Din Kirmani

@brooklynmuseum

12. Eight-pointed Star Tile, 13th-14th century, Iran, Ilkhanid Period

Glazed, stone-paste, underglaze-painted, overglaze-painted luster. Tiles such tiles like this were used to decorate the interior walls of buildings & palaces.

@honolulumuseum

13. Eight-pointed Star Tile, 1201-1300, Iran, Ilkhanid Period

Tiles with dragons were found at Takht-i Sulayman, the summer palace constructed in the 1270s for Abaqa, the Mongol Ilkhan. Tiles like this were used to decorate the interior walls of buildings.

@artinstitutechi

14. Eight-pointed Star, 1256–1353, Iran, Ilkhanid Period

Mongol rulers constructed many shrines throughout Iran in the late 13th century, and adorned them with luster tiles, such as this one.

@StlArtMuseum

@theheritagelab publish

Thank you so much @tezilyas for liking our thread! We love your vibes

Thank you so much @nasserrabbat for kindly sharing 🙏♥️