Tile Panel with Decoration of Composite Flowers and Serrated Leaves

Unknown artist

c. 1570

Fritware, underglaze painted

Arthur M. Sackler Museum

A rectangular tile panel features a dense, repeating pattern of composite flowers and serrated leaves against a white background. A decorative border surrounds the central floral motif. The Ottoman dynasty established the largest Islamic empire of the early modern era. At the peak of their powers in the sixteenth century, the Ottomans built numerous large architectural projects, especially in the capital city of Istanbul. Many of the projects were designed by the renowned architect Sinan. Ceramic tiles were part of his carefully planned interior and exterior decorations. Using blue, emerald green, and a bright red yielded a powerful palette visible at a distance. These colors, along with the newly developed modular square tiles, worked well for decoration that covered great expanses of wall. Larger, single tiles su