Star Tile with Simurgh or Phoenix Motif

This eight-pointed, star-shaped mouldedware tile is painted with lustreware [MC2.1]and cobalt blue glaze. Along with mina’i (“enamelled”) ceramics, lustreware was one of the great luxury ceramics of medieval Iran, as it requires expertise and double kiln firing. The background is a lush tangle of vegetation, including split palmettes, fleshy blooms and scrolling vines. The central motif is of a phoenix or simurgh in full flight.
The simurgh has a long history in Iran and Central Asia. It was a dog-headed bird in its pre-Islamic form. It featured often in Sasanian and Sogdian art. During the Islamic period, it became more closely associated with a majestic bird. Chinese descriptions and depictions influenced this. Lustreware tiles with similar subjects are known from a variety of shrines and elite buildings. This includes the celebrated Ilkhanid palace of Takht-i Suleiman.