16th century

Tile Mosaic Panel

This striking Persian mosaic was created during the Safavid dynasty (1501–1722). It is said to have come from a Sufi Muslim monastery that was located in the city of Isfahan, then the capital city of Persia (present-day Iran). The panel, with its alternating palmette and star motifs, is composed of myriad pieces of ceramic tile in which mirror-black, mingled with various shades of faun and umber, predominates. It is set into a background of brilliant turquoise, a color for which sixteenth-century Persian tilemakers were renowned.