Description
Céramique à décor moulé et peint noir sous glaçure incolore, le souverain sassanide identifié en persan et représenté en buste dans un médaillon, ceint de rinceaux, une frise florale dans la partie basse, éclats, manques de glaçure le long du bord inférieur.
Dim. : 54 x 40,5 cm
Yazdegerd III (r. 632–651) was the last ruler of the Sasanian dynasty. His reign came to an end with the Arab conquest of Iran, and he was assassinated near Merv in 651. Under the Qajars, a renewed fascination with Iran’s pre-Islamic past and Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh made ancient kings a favoured subject for moulded tiles.
A large moulded tile painted in black and of comparable manufacture, depicting an identified portrait of Fath ʿAli Shah Qajar, was sold at Christie’s, London, in Arts of Islam, 26 April 2013, lot 693. A coloured version of a similar tile was sold at Artcurial on 16 May 2022, lot 312.
