c. 1560
During the second half of the sixteenth century, a great profusion of colors and motifs begins to appear in the Iznik tiles. This tile, 9 1/2 inches square, features the traditional blue and turquoise on a white slip, but a bright orange has been added. The rumi pattern spirals from one square to another and the glaze is thick, forming little mounds on the white slip. Since these tiles are identical in pattern to those framing the doorway of the famous Rustem Pasha Mosque in Istanbul (built by the architect Sinan in 1560) we may assume that they date from this period and may even have formed part of a consignment of tiles for the building.
H: 0.7 x W: 20.7 x Depth: 1.8 cm (8 1/8 x 8 1/8 x 11/16 in.)
Edwin Binney, 3rd, (by 1985), bequest; to Harvard University Art Museums, 1985.
Limestone
5th centuryCopticStone
12th centuryFrenchMarble
11th-15th centuryItalianCarved gray volcanic stone
8th-9th centuryIndonesianLimestone
5th centuryCopticLimestone
6th-7th centuryCopticGlazed terracotta
2nd millennium BCEHurrianLimestone, oosparite
14th centuryFrenchLimestone
12th centuryFrenchLimestone
12th centuryFrenchOosparite limestone
13th centuryFrench