Fragmentary Star Tile with Lovers

A few things set this object apart from its counterparts on display (other than the fact that it is fragmented). All of the other star tiles contain floral designs and are bordered with verses from the Qur’an—features that I have understood to be standard in the Medieval Islamic world. The fragmented star tile, however, contains a depiction of people and is bordered with lines of poetry. These features seem anomalous and are what drew me to this object.  It turns out that this object, the Fragmentary Star Tile with Lovers, exemplifies the importance of poetry in the Middle Ages and highlights the rank of the poet in the culture of the time. 

Star tiles were an innovation of ceramics and architecture that let important buildings be decorated with shimmering patterns and ornate designs. These eight-pointed tiles were made to fit like a puzzle with other tiles to create a brilliant façade or interior. They were difficult and expensive to make, and they were made to last. Incidentally, whatever was to be painted onto the tiles must have been of great importance or cultural value.

That being said, we can think about the value that poetry had in the Medieval world. Poems occupied the same space as Quranic verse on prominent buildings. They were embedded in a nearly permanent medium so that they could exist for ages to come. Poetry and in turn, the poet, were comparable in rank to sacred things. The poet was a highly honored position and his work was a cultural treasure.