Art Institute Chicago
Chicago, IL , US

1262 The star and cross-shaped luster tiles were originally integrated into the dado, the lower section of wall decoration, in the mausoleum of a revered individual in Varamin, Iran. These tiles, when assembled, formed a continuous decorative panel. As befitting a religious setting, each tile is adorned with intricate vegetal patterns encircled by Qur'anic inscriptions, and they abstain from any figurative depictions.

These tiles are part of a larger collection comprising approximately 150 luster-painted tiles associated with the Varamin mausoleum. All these tiles take either star or cross shapes and exhibit numerous common characteristics, including the use of rich brown luster, the incorporation of Qur'anic scripts, and a prevalent presence of vegetal motifs and arabesques. Interestingly, by the conclusion of the 19th century, all of these tiles had been removed from the mausoleum by European collectors.