Pearls of Wisdom: The Arts of Islam at the University of Michigan

With its deep blue, turquoise, white, and ochre glazes, this fragment epitomizes the color palette of tile mosaic produced during the Safavid period in Iran. The pieces of glazed ceramic are carefully cut and formed into a composition of blooming vines. Lush garden imagery is common in the Islamic world and appears in almost all media, including architecture, ceramics, book arts, and textiles. During the winter months when gardens were not in bloom, verdant imagery on architectural tiles such as this one provided an enduring vision of blossoming flowers and trees.

Bibliography: Porter 1995, 64–79; Watson 1985, 23, fig. 11; and Pope 1964.