Multan is a city of Punjab that was one of the most important trading centres of Islamic medieval India. The city is renowned for the presence of multiple Sufi shrines dating from that period. Most of those shrines are covered with Multan tile-work (see Kashi gari).
Multan is now in Pakistan.
Mudéjar is the name given to the individual Moors of Al-Andalus who remained in Iberia after the Christian Reconquista. A Mudejar is not converted to Christianity as opposed to a “morisco”.
The Mudéjar style is a symbiosis of techniques and ways of creating resulting from Muslim and Christian cultures living side by side. It emerged as a ceramic and architectural style in the 12<sup>th</sup> century on the Iberian peninsula
Masséot Abaquesne (ca 1510 – ca 1560) is a renowned French potter born in Cherbourg, Normandy. His work is typical of the influence of the Italian Renaissance in France. He was often inspired by mythology and grotesque decorations. His studio was in Rouen. He made 2 famous and exquisite tile pavements in the 1550s. One for the castle of La Bâtie d’Urfé in central France (now partly exhibited in Le Louvre), and one for the Constable of Montmorency in his palace of Écouen near Paris (still in place). Abaquesne also produced over 4,000 apothecary jars with stout faces and wreath of fruit and flowers inspired by Della Robbia.
Maiolica (sometimes majolica) is an Italian word used to describe the production of tin-glazed pavement tiles and pottery during the Renaissance period.
It is thanks to the Moors that the technique of tin-glazed earthenware was brought to Europe, in the so-called Al-Andalus, modern day Spain. First in Málaga, in Andalusia, and later on in the region of Valencia, these Hispano-Moresque wares were exported to Italy and to the rest of Europe. The term maiolica probably derives from the name of Majorca, main island of the Baleares archipelago, as decorated ceramics were extensively exported to Italy through these islands. Some scholars think the word comes from Málaga.
In Italy, the production of tin-glazed earthenwares started as early as in the fourteenth century. It reached a peak in the early sixteenth century when it was exported throughout Europe.
Maiolica is a technique where the decoration is painted onto an unbaked tin-glazed ceramic piece (see under-glaze). Once the decoration is finished, the piece is fired to a temperature of about 1,000° Celsius (1,820° Fahrenheit). Motifs ranged from portraits to coats of arms, ornamental designs, religious motifs, and scenes from the myths of antiquity. Maiolica is known as faïence (sometimes faience) in French and English.
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Kashi gari is a term used in the East Indies to refer to the work of ceramics.
The kashi tiles work is characterized by the use of branches and flowers, with rich colours of blue (dark blue and turquoise). The history of this region is punctuated by successive waves of invaders; the decor and colours are an evidence of Persian influence, which itself was influenced by the Mongols. This is why it is often said that the word comes from the name of the city of Kashgar (now Chinese Turkestan). All the mosques and shrines in this area are decorated in this refined and distinctive style, especially in Sindh and Multan. To mention only a few outstanding examples: the shrines of Shah Youssef Gardezi, of Shah Ruknee Alam, of Sultan Ali Akbar, of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, or the Elga mosque in Lahore.
Iznik tiles are the ceramic tiles produced from the last quarter of the 15th century until the end of the 17th century.
Iznik is a town in north-west Anatolia, now in Turkey. Under the Byzantines the town was known as Nicea. The city was primarily known as the site of the first Ecumenical Council in the early history of the Christian church (325 AD). It was later famed for its highly decorated ceramic production during the Ottoman period.
Iznik ceramic ware was originally made in imitation of Chinese porcelain and were highly prized by the Ottoman sultans. Around 1550, beautiful tiles were produced to cover 3 great monuments: the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the Suleymaniye Mosque in Damascus, and the Suleymaniye complex in Istanbul.
Large collections of Iznik vessels and tiles are shown in the British Museum, Le Louvre, the Sèvres and Écouen Museums, etc. Iznik tiles may be seen in quantity in the imperial and religious buildings of Istanbul.
Hispano-Moresque is a reference to Spanish artistic production inspired by the encounter between local Islamic and Christian arts.
Hispano-Moresque ceramic wares and tiles were made from the 13th to the 16th century, principally in Málaga, Valencia, Seville, and Toledo.
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A ceramic glaze is a layer of a glass-like substance which has been fired at high temperature. This coating is also called enamel.
Applied to ceramic ware it forms a protective moisture-proof coating. In addition to this functional aspect, it enables a variety of surface textures, including degrees of gloss and matt, and finished colour.
A figura de convite is a typically Portuguese azulejo panel representing a human-size character: servant, courtier, guard, halberdier, etc.
Figura de convite panels are usually aimed at welcoming guests, hence the name.
Figura avulsa tiles are typical Portuguese azulejos with a blue central motif and 4 simple elements in the corners.
The motifs in the centre of the tile can be flowers, characters, animals, boats, houses, etc. Because these motifs are rather simple, these tiles were generally painted by the apprentices working in tile studios. These tiles appeared at the end of the 17th century.
The kitchen of the Palacio de Correio-Mor is an outstanding example of the use of this type of azulejos.
In their composition, Figura avulsa azulejos are similar to the Dutch Delft tiles.
