Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Islamic Middle East, Room 42, The Jameel Gallery

Tile

ca. 1359 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This tile fragment comes from an ornamental frieze. It was part of the decoration of a magnificent domed mausoleum at Bukhara in Uzbekistan that was erected over the grave of Buyanquli Khan.

Buyanquli Khan was a Muslim descendant of the great Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan and, for a time, the puppet ruler of parts of Central Asia. He was assassinated by a local warlord in 1358 when he tried to assert his own authority. His tomb was built in a cemetery on the outskirts of Bukhara.

The entire building was covered in tiles, inside and out. These tiles were deeply carved with inscriptions and other ornament and covered with coloured glazes before the final firing. This impressive technique was used in Central Asia only for a brief period, from around 1350 to the early 15th century.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Carved earthenware under coloured glazes
Brief description
Fragment of an ornamental frieze from the tomb of Buyanquli Khan, Uzbekistan (Bukhara), about 1358
Physical description
Tile with interlacing leafy tendrils under a turquoise glaze.
Dimensions
  • Height: 38.7cm
  • Width: 16cm
  • Depth: 6.5cm
  • Weight: 3kg
measurements include frame
Gallery label
Jameel Gallery 1-13 Tiles from the Tomb of Buyanquli Khan Uzbekistan, Bukhara About 1358 11 Fragment of Ornamental Frieze Carved earthenware under coloured glaze Museum no. 2046-1899 (Jameel Gallery)
Object history
From the tomb of Buyanquli Khan in Bukhara. Bought from Mr M Tahtadjian of Batoum (Georgia) in 1899.
Production
From the tomb of Buyanquli Khan in Bukhara
Summary
This tile fragment comes from an ornamental frieze. It was part of the decoration of a magnificent domed mausoleum at Bukhara in Uzbekistan that was erected over the grave of Buyanquli Khan.

Buyanquli Khan was a Muslim descendant of the great Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan and, for a time, the puppet ruler of parts of Central Asia. He was assassinated by a local warlord in 1358 when he tried to assert his own authority. His tomb was built in a cemetery on the outskirts of Bukhara.

The entire building was covered in tiles, inside and out. These tiles were deeply carved with inscriptions and other ornament and covered with coloured glazes before the final firing. This impressive technique was used in Central Asia only for a brief period, from around 1350 to the early 15th century.
Collection
Accession number
2046-1899

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Record createdFebruary 23, 2005
Record URL
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