29th Oct, 2021 14:00

Islamic & Indian Art

 
  Lot 316
 

A CUERDA SECA POTTERY FLOOR TILE WITH A HARE
Toledo, Nasrid Spain, 15th century

A CUERDA SECA POTTERY FLOOR TILE WITH A HARE
Toledo, Nasrid Spain, 15th century

Of small square shape, decorated in the typical Spanish 'dry cord' (cuerda seca) technique and painted in black, green, and yellow against a white ground, featuring a hare amidst vegetation and foliage, 9.8cm x 10cm.

The cuerda seca technique was first developed in Central Asia during the mid to late 14th century. It was widely adopted across the Islamic lands, including Spain, where tiles such as ours were used in large panels to adorn the floors and walls of Nasrid palaces. For similar examples, please see the Victoria & Albert Museum collection, London, acc. nos. 1-1908 and 2-1908.

The National Museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts "González Martí" in Valencia, Spain, owns a large collection of Nasrid cuerda seca tiles, mostly used as floor tiles and coming from Islamic buildings like the Mezquita de la Xara (acc. nos. 1/8192, 1/8196, and 1/8200). Among them, a small square tile with a cuerda seca hare painted in black and green similar to ours is attributed to the 15th-century kiln of Toledo and was bequeathed to the museum by Carmen Artinano Mulleras (acc. no. 1/4019), proving the popularity of the hare motif in this manufacture.

Sold for £812

Includes Buyer's Premium


 

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