Glazed earthenware, Mughal ca. 1650

Square glazed earthenware tile with part of a plant with manganese purple flowers edged in white on a yellow ground enclosed within a cusped arch with an orange scrolled edge on a green ground.

Purchased from Richard Poyser, Veterinary Major, Army Veterinary Department, Meerut, NWP

Bought as a tile 'From tomb of Asof Khan'. It was part of a larger group from Richard Poyser, Veterinary Major, Army Veterinary Department, Meerut, NWP. His letter to the museum sent from Meerut, dated 13 April 92, refers to 'three broken pieces of encaustic tiles wh.[which] belonged to the Tomb of Azof [sic] Khan (AD about 1628) at Shadahrah near Lahore' that he had earlier sold the museum, and contained an offer to sell 17 other pieces from the same tomb. He also proposed the museum buy 34 'pieces of encaustic tiles from other tombs or mosques (which can be named) of about the same date and character precisely'. The total number of 50 pieces were offered for 250 guineas.
On his return to England in 1898 as Lieutenant-Colonel, he wrote to Caspar Purdon Clarke, Director of the South Kensington Museum, 'I may add for your private information, that the old Indian tiles, which took me nearly 7 years to collect & which, as you are aware, are exceedingly difficult to obtain for many reasons, all came - excepting two - from Lahore & its neighbourhood where the tombs still stand to which they belonged, & some details will be found on the back of each & of an authentic nature.
Some I secured from a Mahommedan priest, - within the precincts of an important tomb, & just within its outer boundary wall, where they had been set up edgways to form square holes for pigeons to breed in: others from another priest had paved for himself a seat with them & upon which he constantly sat & read his Koran. he had also faced the wall at his back & side (in a corner) to a certain height with the same: Money would not get these out of him, but he sold me some loose ones. Another lot I purchased from a native shop keeper who lived near a celebrated tomb, & he fished them up out of a deep cellar under his shop. Two very fine specimens I secured in Delhi & you will find them so marked on the back.'

This tile apparently came from the tomb of Asaf Khan, the brother of Nur Jahan who married the emperor Jahangir, and father-in-law to Shah Jahan. He died in 1641 and his tomb, commissioned by Shah Jahan, was finished in 1645. The upper part of the external arches round the tomb were decorated with conventional tile mosaic, but below this were panels of cuerda seca (or kashi) tiles with floral designs, of which little now remains in situ. However, there are a small number of tiles of identical design to this one.

This Mughal tile was one of a group bought from Richard Poyser, a Veterinary Major with the Army Veterinary Department at Meerut. They were collected from Lahore and the surrounding area. Originally on tombs, according to Major Poyser, some had been acquired from "a Mohammadan priest - within the precincts of an important tomb ... where they had been set up edgeways to form square holes for pigeons to breed in: others from another tomb whose priest had paved for himself a seat with them... Another lot were purchased from a native shopkeeper who lived near a celebrated tomb & he fished them up out of a deep cellar under his shop. Two very fine specimens I secured in Delhi and you will find them so marked on the back". On the back of this tile, written in pencil, are the words: 'Tomb of Asaf Khan who died 11 November AD 1611'. Asaf Khan was the brother of Nur Jahan, who married Jahangir, and Shah Jahan's father-in-law. He actually died in 1641 and his tomb in Lahore, commissioned by Shah Jahan, was finished in 1645. The upper part of the external arches round the tomb were originally decorated with tile mosaic, but below this were panels of cuerda seca (or Kashi) tiles with floral designs, of which few now remain. One or two of the surviving tiles have a design exactly similar to this one, confirming the provenance given by Poyser.

IS.63-1898