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 Ceramic Lustre Tile |
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The shiny lustre surface of this tile was achieved by combining metal compounds of silver and copper with the surface
of a glaze which, when fired, produced an iridescent metallic surface. Lustre glazes were first produced in Iraq in
the early 9th century. It is thought that the prohibition of gold and silver vessels spurred the 'invention' of the
lustre substitute.
This tile would have been part of a frieze, probably in a religious building.
The inscription is in thuluth script and reads: hijriyyah, nabawiyyah, mustafawiyyah ("of the migration of The Prophet,
The Chosen"). The inscription indicates that this tile came from a particular frieze that recorded the date of
construction, dedication, and perhaps the installation of tiles, of a building. The date would have been given on the
tile or tiles immediately preceding this one.
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