Islamic Ghazni: Fired clay
Inv. no. IG6239

Glazed ceramic tiles
IsMEO / IsIAO Italian Archaeological Mission in Afghanistan, 1957-1966
Ghazni area
Unknown
IG6239

Other images

IG6239b

Moulded relief decorated tile
Fired clay
Mould
7.5x7x0.8 cm
Late 12th - early 13th c.

Fragment of a red monochrome square tile, with cut straight edges. Medium-fine fabric, very similar to the one identified for the glazed vessels of the Ghazni pottery corpus (Fabric no. 25, but little coarser). The glaze is badly altered and it has been preserved as a matt yellowish layer only in the spaces among the relief portions. The rear surface is uneven and rough. Moulded relief decoration representing a rampant lion in profile, facing the dexter side, with its left forefoot in the air. The animal is rendered with gaping jaws and a vegetal scroll coming out from its mouth, and shows a large tail raised with a vegetal end. The central motif is enclosed in a beaded frame.

Current location: Rome, Sapienza University
Neg. no.: –
Digital photos: A. Fusaro, 2012
Drawings: A. Fusaro, 2020