A GROUP OF FOUR CUERDA SECA ARCHITECTURAL POTTERY TILES
Safavid Iran, late 17th - 18th century

Comprising four square pottery tiles, each painted in deep cobalt blue, yellow, manganese purple, brown, and turquoise against an olive green ground, each featuring a different section of a once much larger composition, one tile featuring the head of a horse and the arm and bow of its rider; another with the hinder legs of a horse; two tiles matching in a mirror arrangement, their lower sides cut diagonally to frame the cusp of an arch, possibly used as architectural panels of squinches or spandrels, all decorated with scrolling polychrome floral stems, the outer borders with overlapping bands of cobalt blue, yellow and manganese purple, the largest 25cm x 25cm.

Individually designed cuerda seca pottery tiles such as these were combined together to usually form a large pictorial scene that was positioned above a door or archway. For complete examples, please see the British Museum, London, acc. no.1937,1217.1. and Sotheby's London, 23 October 2019, lot 233.