Page 164 - ART OF THE ISLAMIC AND INDIAN WORLDS Carpets, Ceramics Objects, Christie's London Oct..27, 2022

*141
AN IZNIK POTTERY MECCA TILE
OTTOMAN TURKEY, MID 17TH CENTURY
The white ground painted with cobalt-blue, bole-red, green and black under the glaze, decorated in the
upper section with a calligraphic cartouche containing the Shahada, the lower section with the top of a
depiction of the mosque at Mecca, two further scalloped cartouches also containing the Shahada, a metal
mounting plate affixed to the back with two screws in the top corners
13 x 15¡in. (33 x 39cm.)
£50,000-70,000 US$58,000-80,000
€57,000-80,000

PROVENANCE:
Private Collection Denmark, purchased in the 1920s-30s
Inherited in 1940; thence by descent to the previous owner
This tile forms the upper half of a so-called Kaaba tile. Although the function of tiles which depict the
Holy Shrines are unknown, they may have been intended to decorate walls in houses or palaces, possibly
marking the status of the owner as someone who had performed the pilgrimage. Some Mecca tiles are
still found in situ in mosques, usually on the qibla wall, intended to draw the eyes of the faithful in the
direction of prayer (Venetia Porter (ed.), Hajj. Journey to the Heart of Islam, exhibition catalogue, 2012,
p.118).

The various Iznik tiles of Mecca and Medina show considerable variety in their portrayal of the Holy
Shrines. Ours is stylistically closest to one in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, which depicts Medina
(https://universes.art/en/art-destinations/berlin/museum-of-islamic-art/photo-tour/ceramic-tiles-
vessels). Like ours that has spandrels with arabesque in white reserved against a blue/turquoise ground,
strapwork borders (albeit on different scale), a central blue roundel containing the word Allah in white,
and further inscription in a spidery black script – on ours reading Muhammad, on the Pergamon tile,
much more extensive. The Pergamon tile is dated 1651-52 AD suggesting a similar dating for ours.
Whilst the earliest known tiled depiction of Mecca is on the eastern wall of the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul
and dated 1642 AD, examples are known into the 18 century. Blair and Bloom suggest that the majority
th
of tiles depicting the Kaaba were probably produced between 1640-75 (S. Blair and J. Bloom, The Art
and Architecture of Islam, 1250-1800, London, 1994, p.247). The script with which the central word
Muhammad is written on our tile can also be seen on a Mecca tile in the Benaki Museum, Athens and
exhibited in the Hajj exhibition in London (Porter (ed.), op.cit, p.117, fig.78). Like our tile that also uses
a somewhat greeny turquoise colour for elements of its decoration. That too is attributed to the 17 th
century.

Although one cannot see the entirety of the Holy Shrine in our tile we can say with certainty that it is
Mecca. In tiles that depict Medina, such as that in the Pergamon, you can see a domed structure, top
left, which would have been partly visible here. See also an example in the Sadberk Hanim Museum
(published Ara Altun, John Carswell and Gönũl Öney, Turkish Tiles and Ceramics, Istanbul, 1991, p.46,
no.I.77). Mountains, as are seen on our tile, are also more commonly found on images of Mecca than
they are of Medina, where one would more normally expect trees or plants. The depiction of the minarets
and upper crenulations on the wall in our tile also relate very closely to those depicted on a tile at the
Yeni Calide Cami in Istanbul (https://pbase.com/dosseman/image/115138381).

162 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty 163
fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol. Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.