Tile depicting Khusrau Happening upon Shirin Bathing

Produced in Qajar-era Iran, this elaborately painted tile depicts a well-known scene from Nizami Ganjavi’s Khosrow and Shirin, in which Khosrow first sees Shirin bathing. The tile is made of fritware—also known as stonepaste—a ceramic material developed in Iran as early as the 9th century and refined in Egypt by the 11th. Composed of finely ground quartz mixed with clay and liquefied glass, fritware creates a durable, white surface ideal for intricate painted decoration. Its popularity grew in part because it mimicked the appearance of Chinese porcelain, which entered Islamic markets through intensified trade following the Mongol invasions.

As fritware gradually replaced earthenware, particularly in Iran and Syria, new techniques and styles emerged. Underglaze painting, as seen here, became especially widespread in 13th-century Iran and remained a hallmark of ceramic production through the Qajar period. While some tiles were produced for export to European collectors, many were created for architectural use in palaces and residences, contributing to the ornate aesthetic of Qajar visual culture.

In this example, vivid blue pigments and delicate linework appear within an arabesque-patterned border. Notably, the artist’s decision to depict Shirin holding a comb adds a layer of narrative interpretation, as this detail is absent from many illustrated versions and is not explicitly described in Nizami’s text.