Etoile de type Lajvard aux oiseaux

Iran, Kashan, Ilkhanid art, circa 1300 Lajvard-type siliceous paste eight-pointed facing tile, with decoration in slight relief surrounded by a red line, painted on a turquoise staniferous opaque glaze and gilded with a leaf. Intact. 21 x 21 cm Decorated with a technique called lajvardina - a term that refers to lapis lazuli in shades ranging from azure to overseas - this tile was produced during the Ilkhanid dynasty (1256-1353) when the Mongols dominated northwestern Iran. The appearance of this technique can be traced back to the famous treatise by Abu'l Qasim al-Kashani, who wrote a book in 1301 that gave recipes (especially for the siliceous paste) and techniques for decoration and firing. After a first firing to establish the background, the tile underwent a second firing to fix the overglazed details and the carefully cut gold leaves, creating a glittering surface. A star-shaped Persian fritware tile with Lajvardina glaze, Iran, Kashan, circa 1300 French private collection Maître Boisgirard et de Heeckeren, 28 April 1978 Related works : Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Accession Nr. AC1996.115.1-.5, for a set of four Lajvardina tiles with turquoise or lapis background probably from Takht-i Sulaiman, circa 1270-1280. Art Institute of Chicago, 1984.1326