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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
South Asia Gallery, Room 41

Glazed Tile

late 15th century - early 16th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is one of a group of fifteenth or sixteenth-century glazed tiles from the ruins of the city of Gaur, Bengal. Muslim rule was established in Eastern India at the beginning of the thirteenth century after the then Hindu capital of Gaur was captured by Muhammad Bakhtyar Khilji in 1198. The Bengali style of Sultanate architecture developed in the region. Although the style synthesised Muslim influences with characteristics derived from local Hindu and Buddhist architecture, such as the rich use of plant details, glazed tiles were a feature of Muslim origin and indeed one used widely across the Muslim world. Pre-Mughal Islamic building in Bengal often use glazed and unglazed tiles as a decorative feature. The earliest dated appearance of glazed tiles at Gaur is on the Eklakhi tomb, generally accepted as the mausoleum of Sultan Jalal al-Din (d.1431). By the late 15th century the use of tiles had become more widespread, although in Bengal still confined to Muslim buildings. The tiles are in a variety of different shapes.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Glazed earthenware
Brief description
Glazed Tile: late 15th - early 16th century. Gaur, Bengal.
Physical description
Rectangular glazed tile with three stylised flower motifs, the petals curved in a manner somewhat suggestive of a spinning Catherine Wheel, on white on a dark blue ground.
Dimensions
  • Approximate height: 5.5cm
  • Approximate width: 21.5cm
  • Approximate depth: 5.5cm
Style
Gallery label
GLAZED TILES From Gaur, Bengal Late 15th-early 16th century Pre-Mughal Islamic building in Bengal often use glazed and unglazed tiles as a decorative feature. The earliest dated appearance of glazed tiles at Gaur is on the Eklakhi tomb, generally accepted as the mausoleum of Sultan Jalal al-Din (d.1431). By the late 15th century the use of tiles had become more widespread, although in Bengal still confined to Muslim buildings. 9364:3 9363:50 9363:56 9363:42 9363:6 9363:31(ca.1990 or 1997)
Object history
From the ruins of Gaur.
This object was in the collection of the Indian Museum in London, part of which was in 1879 amalgamated with the collection of the South Kensington Museum (now V&A).
Subjects depicted
Summary
This is one of a group of fifteenth or sixteenth-century glazed tiles from the ruins of the city of Gaur, Bengal. Muslim rule was established in Eastern India at the beginning of the thirteenth century after the then Hindu capital of Gaur was captured by Muhammad Bakhtyar Khilji in 1198. The Bengali style of Sultanate architecture developed in the region. Although the style synthesised Muslim influences with characteristics derived from local Hindu and Buddhist architecture, such as the rich use of plant details, glazed tiles were a feature of Muslim origin and indeed one used widely across the Muslim world. Pre-Mughal Islamic building in Bengal often use glazed and unglazed tiles as a decorative feature. The earliest dated appearance of glazed tiles at Gaur is on the Eklakhi tomb, generally accepted as the mausoleum of Sultan Jalal al-Din (d.1431). By the late 15th century the use of tiles had become more widespread, although in Bengal still confined to Muslim buildings. The tiles are in a variety of different shapes.
Bibliographic reference
Guy, John and Swallow, Deborah (eds.) Arts of India: 1550-1900. Text by Rosemary Crill, John Guy, Veronica Murphy, Susan Stronge and Deborah Swallow. London : Victoria and Albert Museum, 1990, reprinted 1999. 240 p. : ill. ISBN: 1851770224. pp.44-6
Collection
Accession number
9363:31/(IS)

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Record createdSeptember 18, 2008
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