Existing comment:
Safavid Court from Isfahan, Persia:
The striking series of Persian mosaics on view in this gallery were created during the Safavid dynasty (1501-1736). They are said to have come from the Sufi Muslim monastery that was located in the city of Isfahan, then the capital city of Persia (present-day Iran). The panels, with their alternating palmette and star motifs, are composed of myriad pieces of ceramic tile in which mirror-black, mingled with various shades of faun and umber, predominates. They are set into backgrounds of brilliant turquoise, a color for which sixteenth-century Persian tilemakers were renowned. |