Title
Timurid tile
Year/Period
c.1450
Region
Iran
Object Type
Material
Technique
Dimension
Object size: L14.3 x W6.2 x H17.0 cm
Accession No.
1999-02695
Collection of
On this tile, the white inscription does somewhat resemble a white swan swimming in cobalt blue water. The inscription 'al-mulk' is probably part of the common pious phrase 'al-mulk lillah', found on architecture. It means 'Sovereignty (of the visible world) belongs to God’. In Islam, Allah is sovereign over things visible and invisible. One of the asmah al-husnah (Divine Name of God) is Malik al-mulk, or Eternal Owner of Sovereignty. This particular tile is most likely from a funerary monument or religious building.
