A large Ilkhanid Lajvardina moulded calligraphic pottery tile, Persia, early 14th Century

of rectangular form with central ridge and raised border to right, moulded and decorated in red, white and gold leaf on a cobalt blue ground with inscriptions in thuluth on a ground of scrolling vegetal interlace, the raised bands with cable design
39.5 x 25.5 cm.

Provenance
Formerly in a Dutch private collection, Amsterdam, acquired in the 1960s.

Inscriptions: to the border the basmalah; to the central part '... al-Din Hamd (?) ... Kafi al-D... may (God) forgive him ... his death on...day (a day of the week) ... al-akhir (either Rabi' II or Jumadi II).

The tile most probably formed part of a panel marking the death of the person buried in a particular shrine. A comparable tile is in the Art Institute of Chicago, reference no. 1925.198.