Two Timurid cuerda seca pottery tiles, Samarkand, early 15th century, of hexagonal shape, moulded, decorated with central flower head on a geometric ground, polychrome rosettes and trefoil motifs in yellow, cobalt, turquoise, brown and green, 26.5 cm. diam. Published: Arts from the Land of Timur. An Exhibition from a Scottish Private Collection. Paisley, Sogdiana Books, 2012, Cat. no 471. Note: This tile is executed in the cuerda seca technique, the method whereby a line of greasy substance mixed with manganese is placed between the colours so that they do not run into each other during firing, the line of greasy substance burns away and leaves a dull matt line. The technique was used extensively by the Timurids. Similar tiles can be seen on the Bibi Khanun in Samarkand (begun 1398), and a fragmentary example, also convex, is in the British Museum, London (Venetia Porter, Islamic Tiles, London, 1995, fig. 66). Please refer to department for condition report