A FIGURAL PANEL OF TWELVE CUERDA SECA POTTERY TILES
Iran, 18th century

Comprising twelve square cuerda seca pottery tiles illustrating a gathering at King Solomon's court, painted in cobalt blue, yellow, pink, turquoise, green, and black on a white ground, the king characterised by a large yellow nimbus and portrayed seated cross-legged on a low throne, receiving offerings, a standing attendant on the right holding a parasol above Solomon's head indicating his superior royal status, the Persian epic hero Rustam seated on a Western high chair on the right confronting two other warriors, one seated and the latter standing, a lioness, a peacock and a snake livening the foreground of the scene, three cusped cartouches of black nasta'liq script reserved on white at the top, one stating the panel was produced at the end of Shah Tahmasp's reign (misspelling the name 'Tahmasp'), possibly a reference to the second-last ruler of the Safavid dynasty, Tahmasp II (r. 1722 - 1732), and another with the second hemistich of line 2 of Hafez's ghazal 493, underneath the calligraphic cartouches two Westernised winged angels showering the ruler with blessings, mounted and framed, 82cm x 61cm.