Tile

Object Details

• Description

  Eight-pointed star tile.

  Paste: off-white.

  Glaze: transparent.

  Decoration: underglaze painted in white slip and blue; overglaze painted in brownish-gold luster.

• Provenance

  From 1930s to 1970

  Dr. Myron Bement Smith (1897-1970), New York[1]

  1970 – 71

  Mrs. Myron Bement Smith, Washington DC [2]

  From 1971

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Mrs. Myron Bement Smith [3]

  Notes:

  [1] Curatorial remark 2 in the object record.

  Dr. Smith was an archaeologist, specializing in ancient Islamic architecture. Mr. and Mrs. Smith were known to be in Isfahan in 1936. See A.T. Olmstead's "A Year of Research in the Near East" (Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 69, Feb. 1938, pg. 23).

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] See Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920 file, Collections Management Office. The object was transferred from the Freer Study Collection to the Permanent Collection approved on December 3, 1973.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Previous custodian or owner

  Dr. Myron Bement Smith (1897-1970)

  Mrs. Myron Bement Smith

• Origin

  Sultanabad, Iran

• Credit Line

  Gift of Mrs. Myron Bement Smith

• Type

  Architectural Element

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1400s, 1300s

• Name

  Smith, Myron Bement

• Place

  Sultanabad

• Topic

  Art, Arts of the Islamic World, Stone-paste, Ceramics, Myron Bement Smith collection, Il-Khanid dynasty (1256 - 1353)

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Object Type

  Architectural elements