Lot 6: A SET OF FOUR TIMURID HEXAGONAL CUERDA SECA CERAMIC POTTERY TILES, CENTRAL ASIA, 15TH CENTURY CENTURY

A SET OF FOUR TIMURID HEXAGONAL CUERDA SECA CERAMIC POTTERY TILES, CENTRAL ASIA, 15TH CENTURY CENTURY

A set of four hexagonal ceramic tiles decorated using the cuerda seca technique. Each tile features a central six-petalled rosette with alternating white and ochre-yellow glazed petals, each containing a dark droplet-shaped detail. The centre of the rosette is a black and white six-pointed star. This floral motif is set against a deep cobalt blue field and framed by a wide turquoise-blue border. The different glaze colours are separated by thin, dark outlines characteristic of the cuerda seca process. The reverse of the tiles shows a rough, unglazed buff-coloured clay surface with significant remnants of grey and buff-coloured lime mortar from their original architectural installation. One tile features a mark in black pigment on the reverse, consisting of a vertical line intersected by a horizontal line with two loop-like shapes below; this mark is not legible as a name.

Provenance: Private UK Collection

L: 22cm