Garden Gathering Mug And Tea Towel Set

A colorful ceramic panel in the Museum’s holdings informs the vibrant scene on our mug and tea towel set. Created around 1640–50 and attributed to Iran, probably Isfahan, this assemblage of painted stonepaste tiles depicts a luxuriant garden gathering. Attended by servers offering refreshments, a woman leaning on a bolster pillow makes daring eye contact with the viewer. Her outstretched arm, bearing burn marks associated with mystics and lovers, directs our gaze to a male figure in European dress—perhaps a merchant—kneeling before her.