Tile thumbnail 1
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Tile

1270s (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Iran (made)
Takht-i Sulayman (made)
Kashan (made)

The deeds of Bahram Gur, who ruled Iran in the 5th century, were recorded in the Persian epic, The Book of Kings. Here Bahram is shown out hunting on a camel with the harpist Azadah. To show his prowess, he shoots an arrow to pin the hind leg of a deer to its head.

Object details

Categories
Tiles
Lustre Ware
Islam
Object type
Tile
Materials and techniques
Moulded fritware with colour in and lustre over the glaze
Fritware
Lustre Painted
Brief description
Tile from the Ilkhanid palace at Takht-i Sulayman with moulded decoration showing Bahram Gur hunting on a camel in the company of Azadah, fritware under a tin glaze, with blue and turquoise painted into the glaze and lustre painted over the glaze, Iran, Kashan or Takht-i Sulayman, about 1275.
Physical description
Tile from a frieze at the palace of Takht-i Sulayman with a moulded design, copper-green and cobalt-blue painted into the glaze, and lustre decoration painted over the glaze. The main scene depicts Bahram Gur, future king of Iran, out hunting with his favourite slave girl, the harpist Azadah. Bahram Gur fires a shot at a gazelle that scratches its ear with its foot. The arrow will pin the foot and the ear to the animal's shoulder.
Dimensions
  • Height: 31.4cm
  • Width: 32.3cm
  • Depth: 5.3cm
Styles
Il-Khanid
Ilkhanid
Gallery label
(2006)
Jameel Gallery

Tile with Bahram Gur Hunting
Iran, Takht-i Sulayman
About 1275

The deeds of Bahram Gur, who ruled Iran in the 5th century, were recorded in the Persian epic, The Book of Kings. Here Bahram is shown out hunting on a camel with the harpist Azadah. To show his prowess, he shoots an arrow to pin the hind leg of a deer to its head.

Moulded fritware, with colour in the glaze and lustre over the glaze

Museum no. 1841-1876
Summary
The deeds of Bahram Gur, who ruled Iran in the 5th century, were recorded in the Persian epic, The Book of Kings. Here Bahram is shown out hunting on a camel with the harpist Azadah. To show his prowess, he shoots an arrow to pin the hind leg of a deer to its head.
Bibliographic references
  • Komaroff, Linda, and Carboni, Stefano, (eds), The legacy of Genghis Khan, Courtly Art and Culture in Western Asia, 1256-1353, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002. Catalogue of the Exhibition from Nov.5, 2002 to Feb. 16, 2003. ISBN1-58839-071-3 (1-58839-071-3 pbk; 0-300-09691-7 Yale U. P.) Cat. Entry 97, p265, Fig. 108
  • Watson, Oliver. Persian Lustre Ware. London: Faber and Faber, 1985. ISBN 0-571-13235-9 Colour Plate L/a, pp. 122, 136, 188, 192
  • Tim Stanley, Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Middle East, London, V&A Publications, 2004; pp. 50, 77, 85, 91, 122, plate 100
Collection
Middle East Section
Accession number
1841-1876

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Record createdSeptember 8, 1998
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O8980/tile-unknown/
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