Tile with Floral Cartouche Design on Ebru (Marble Imitation Pattern) Background

Unknown

late 16th century · Stonepaste; polychrome painted under transparent glaze · Islamic Art

This tile, restored from six pieces, combines a typical late sixteenth-century floral medallion with a background design in manganese purple that mimics the surface patterns of marble. While not entirely unknown in pottery, designs that simulate marble or other materials were better suited to tile revetments where they blended with the various forms of architectural decoration in Ottoman buildings.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 16th century

Medium

Stonepaste; polychrome painted under transparent glaze

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Gift of William B. Osgood Field, 1902