Lot 197: A RARE UMAYYAD MOULDED GREEN-GLAZED CERAMIC TILE FRAGMENT, EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN, 8TH CENTURY

A RARE UMAYYAD MOULDED GREEN-GLAZED CERAMIC TILE FRAGMENT, EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN, 8TH CENTURY

An Umayyad ceramic architectural tile fragment of vertical rectangular form. The face is decorated in high-relief moulded decoration featuring two primary circular medallions. Each medallion contains a composite mythical creature, possibly a harpy or sphinx, set against a background of scrolling foliate motifs. The intervening spaces are decorated with smaller circular bosses or eye motifs. The left and bottom edges are finished with a prominent notched or rope-twist border. The entire front surface is covered in a thick, translucent copper-green lead glaze. The reverse reveals a coarse, unglazed reddish-brown ceramic body with a rough, sandy texture, typical of architectural ceramics designed to be set into mortar. This piece reflects the characteristic ceramic production of the Umayyad period, particularly within the Eastern Mediterranean or Greater Syria regions.

L: 21cm