Presented in this lot is a Timurid 14th Century AD Persian Ilkhanid wall tile fragment from ancient Afghanistan, procured in Afghanistan during 1969-1972. The Timurid Empire was a late medieval, culturally Persianate Turco-Mongol empire that dominated Greater Iran in the early 15th century, comprising modern-day Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, much of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, as well as parts of contemporary Pakistan, North India and Turkey. Timurid architecture drew on and developed many Seljuk traditions (the Seljuk Empire was a high medieval empire, culturally Turco-Persian.) Timurid architecture is the pinnacle of Islamic art in Central Asia. Provenance: the Owen D. Mort, Jr. Collection. Owen David Mort was an American engineer who amassed an impressive collection throughout his worldwide travels. His collection has included art, artifacts and other historical items from which he has donated to museums at the University of Utah and the Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame. Donations have included Afghan, Indian, Mughal, Parthian, Persian and Far East Asian art and artifacts. Building construction during the Timurid dynasty allowed for the exchange of ideas and techniques across the empire. Master builders and laborers from the conquered cities congregated to build projects. The employment of Persian architects in leading the major construction activities resulted in the introduction of Persian elements in the Timurid style. This and the Timurids’ general patronage of the arts have made them the greatest patrons of Iranian culture. With the Qur'an restricting depictions of animals or the human form, decoration of Islamic structures evolved with a more abstract aspect than previous eras. Much of this decoration utilized the literal text of the Qur'an. This Persian Ilkhanid wall tile fragment is made from limestone, featuring Thuluth script, a medieval Islamic style of handwritten alphabet. It is a large and elegant, cursive script, used in medieval times on mosque decorations, and it was used to write sura headings, religious inscriptions, and princely titles and epigraphs. Fragments of the original Ilkhanid monochrome glazing is visible. The Ilkhanid wall tile fragment measures 10.25"L x 9"W x 2"D and weighs 4lb 14oz.*