Seventeenth century or earlier, Timurid, Isphahan, Iran.

This beautiful tile is basically a rectangle with the top corners omitted, and made of cut tile work and inlaid on a gesso back, in a mosaic fashion, this commenced in Islamic lands from even pre Seljuk times but reached its climax in Timurid times. As a matter of fact, it came from the Masjid- i-Shah in Isphahan, the mosque was built by the Sunni, Turkic Seljuks who initiated the four iwan mosques for the four Sunni ‘Mazhabs’. However, as the mosque was also embellished by the later Safavids, it has been attributed to seventeenth century Iran by both the Louvre, Paris and one or two other scholars, although some believe it to be earlier. The tiles in situ of this size and type can still be seen in situ. The Louvre, Paris also has one, with slightly different colours and with the outer border missing (illustrated in the catalogue, museum no. MAO 1189, pages 392-393) The Louvre Paris tile is the only other outside the mosque. The tiles in the mosque are situated above the iwan of the mosque and it is possible that these two tiles were removed during some process of restoration in the Safavid period. The image is classical, showing two facing peacocks larking a vase with flowers and other flowers around a style that is originally Timurid.