the mosaic tiles fitted together and forming part of a monumental inscription, with cobalt blue, emerald green, light and very light blue glazes.

Provenance: Ex-collection Carl Johan Lamm, Sweden (1902-81).
Sotheby's, 30 April 1992, lot 93.

Carl Johan Lamm was born in Stockholm and was a renowned art historian, particularly in the field of Islamic glass and oriental rugs. He was associate professor at the University of Cairo between 1934 and 1937

Note: This impressive mosaic tile fragment is composed of fitted polychrome mosaic tiles in which letters from an old existing inscription can be seen but not read, enhancing the abstract quality of the design.

The technique of tile mosaic or mosaic faience reached its peak under Timurid patronage, and the Gur-i Amir in Samarqand, Uzbekistan, features a similar, complete frieze above the entryway to the foundation of Muhammad Sultan (illustrated in P. Chuvin and G. Degeorge, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, Paris, 2011, pp.14-15).

A part of this calligraphic section was sold in these rooms 24 April 2013, lot 148.

A large Timurid mosaic tile fragment, Central Asia, late 14th-early 15th Century; fragment: 72 by 34cm., mount: 81 by 43.1cm. Sold for 57,500 GBP at Sotheby's London, 24 April 2013, lot 148. Courtesy Sotheby's.