© The National Museum of Art of Romania


This item has been added to the Database within the Explore Islamic Art Collections project. Information is available in: English, Arabic.

Name of Object:

Lotus tile

Location:

Bucharest, Romania

Holding Museum:

The National Museum of Art of Romania

About The National Museum of Art of Romania, Bucharest

Date of Object:

Hegira 10th century / AD 16th century

Museum Inventory Number:

18514 / 2212

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Fritware, underglaze painting

Dimensions:

Height: 22.5cm, Width: 18cm

Period / Dynasty:

Ottoman

Place of production:

Probably Syria

Provenance:

Jerusalem

Description:

Two lotus blossoms painted in white and black on a cobalt blue ground. A half-blossom can be seen in the bottom right corner, while a complete blossom is shown on a stem to the left. On the back of the tile, the Arabic letters lr lr incised in the paste. Tiles with a similar restricted palette and a similar treatment of the stylised lotus blossoms were used for the redecoration of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, during the extensive restoration ordered by Süleyman the Magnificent. Therefore, the tile could have been made in an Ottoman workshop from Syria dating back to the mid-sixteenth century.

How date and origin were established:

Stylistic analysis

How Object was obtained:

The tile belonged to Marcu Beza, writer and Consul General of Romania in Jerusalem between the wars. Purchased by the Museum in 1956.

How provenance was established:

Stylistic analysis

Selected bibliography:

Dunca, M., Islamic Art at the National Museum of Art of Romania, Bucharest: National Museum of Art of Romania, 2015: 104, no. 46.
Porter, V., Islamic Tiles, New York: Indiana University Press, 1995.

Citation of this web page:

Mircea Dunca "Lotus tile" in Explore Islamic Art Collections. Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;EPM;rm;Mus21;8;en

Prepared by: Mircea Dunca

MWNF Working Number: RO1 08

RELATED CONTENT

 Artistic Introduction

Islamic Dynasties / Period

Ottomans


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Ceramics

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