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A ceramic tradition
Marginalised as a primitive architectural accessory the humble terracotta tile, as we know it today, is a remnant of a glorious ceramic tradition. Salwat Ali critiques the recent Mohatta Palace exposition, ‘Tale of the tile,’ which attempts to resurrect the many splendoured existence of the erstwhile clay tablet
Co-curated by Hamid Akhund and Nasreen Askari the ‘Tale of the tile’ is a vibrant gamut of styles, forms and traditions. It is not just visually arresting but so factual and authentic that it needs to be accessed beyond its apparent surface appeal. As a chronicle of a historically significant artistic tradition, the presentation speaks on many levels, foremost among them is the present day conflict between the status of art and craft. This grand display of tile tradition will be considered truly purposeful if it succeeds in sparking fresh debate and scholarship on the wide breach between high art and low craft.
In his insightful discourse, ‘Art and Contemplation’ (Art and Islam) — eminent scholar Titus Burckhardt propounds, “The divorce between ‘art’ and ‘craftsmanship’ is a relatively recent phenomenon which parallels the scission between ‘art’ and ‘science.’ Formerly, every artist who produced an object was called a ‘craftsman,’ and every discipline that demanded not only theoretical but also practical ability was an ‘art.’ This remains true of the Islamic world wherever — and such places are becoming increasingly rare — there has been no western influence. Art (fann) always involves technique (san,ah) and science (‘ilm), and it is hardly necessary to add that this technique is a manual one and not that of a machine, and that the science of use to the artist has nothing in common with the science as taught in universities. The science needed by the master mason, for example, is certainly geometry, but one that has a more practical character than that taught in schools — a master mason must know how to trace an ogival arc by means of a simple cord — and which on the other hand is contemplative in its essence.”
In the Mohatta exhibition the display of tile art of shrines, tombs, mosques and mausoleums in what is now Sindh and Punjab is particularly relevant to this profound observation. A considerable number of glazed tiles, baked bricks, mosaic tablets and virtual wall segments reveal the skill, precision, expertise and design acumen of those early craftsmen as well as the aura of the Sufi saints and mystics of the times that inspired this amazing conversion of flat geometric decoration into meditative rhythmic patterns. Indeed, tile craft flowered and flourished as a spiritually inspired art during the 12th to 17th centuries under the patronage of Muslim rulers and saints. The rich trove in Lahore, Multan, Thatta, Hala, Sehwan and Uchh Sharif has placed Pakistan among the countries possessing the richest treasures in this field.
While the display of original fragments, tiles and bit pieces impart authenticity to the art form it is the curators’ imaginative use of “recreations” that build the necessary ambience in which one can visualize and try to feel the particular ethos that motivated and encouraged this art tradition.
The most impressive variety of tile work, not only in Sindh but in the whole of the subcontinent, is found at the Shah Jehan mosque in Thatta. Built in 1644-1647 it is noted for mimicking the firmament with its depiction of the sun, stars and clouds. Both the main chambers of the mosque are covered with white and blue tiles. The spandrels of the main arches are decorated with floral patterns and there are many panels of geometric designs. The domes have been covered with a mosaic of radiating blue and white tiles that give them the appearance of starry vaults. To enable the viewers to see these “colours of the heavens” that the intermingling of blue and white tile work creates, and to feel the source of inspiration, amazement and wonder that the decoration is intended to convey one of the main Mohatta viewing halls and corridor has been converted into a mosque interior replete with domed ceiling and arched walk way. The intricate tile work of the vaults, pillars, arches and walls has been meticulously duplicated in oil paint by dedicated local craftsmen who understand the spirit in which it was originally created. Likewise Mohatta’s Shell Gallery also contains some stunning ‘recreations’ among which the facade from the Mausoleum of Tahir Khan Nahar (1455-1484) Sitpur, Muzzafargarh district of Punjab. One of the earliest funerary structures in Pakistan it is unique in terms of the patterning and colour of its faience mosaic revetments. The recreated decoration depicts a variety of styles that combine the use of fine brick with geometric glazed tiles in diaper, chain, star, merlon, and sunflower motifs. The glazes are brilliant yellow, white, dark brown, cobalt blue and turquoise.
Glazed tiles, baked bricks, mosaic tablets and virtual wall segments reveal the skill, precision, expertise and design acumen of early craftsmen and the aura of the Sufi saints at the ‘Tale of the tile’ at Mohatta Palace
The complex tile work of Bibi Jawindi’s tomb in Uchh Sharif also merits attention. Blue and white luster tiles of varying thickness are set in horizontal bands which are skillfully juxtaposed with geometric star shaped tiles embellished with six and eight petalled flowers. A recreation of a Sufi retreat in the midst of these mausoleums further adds to the inspirational context.Other than a fine projection of the synthesis of Islamic geometric art and indigenous sense of design, Tale of the Tile is also significant for the cultural history of this region that it reveals through clay artifacts, archaeological finds, antique ceramic utensils and objects. Mehargarh in Baluchistan, Mohenjodaro in Sindh and Harappa in the Punjab represent the zenith of the Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest and greatest civilizations of the ancient past. These forgotten cities flourished for over two mellenia between 4000 and 1500 B.C. testifying to the birth, flowering and decline of a civilization that stretched over virtually the whole of Pakistan and areas beyond. Since 1974, artifacts excavated by the French Archeological Mission supplemented by research findings of Italian, British, American, German and Pakistani archaeologists have enhanced our knowledge of advances made in the art of fired brick making by the settlers of the Indus valley. The historical view of the Mehargarh settlements as offshoots of an advanced civilization from South Central Asia has been challenged by the French Mission, who contend that Mehargarh was at least as old as some of the settlements in Iran and Turkmenistan (c.7000 B.C.) and possibly older.
The period covering the 4th millennium and the first half of the 3rd millennium B.C. saw the development of polychrome wares in Baluchistan and the Indus Valley. At Mehargarh, traces of large firing areas with kilns, vessels, remains of workshops, storerooms for equipment and finished wares indicate how the production of earthenware was organized. This industry was complemented by parallel advances in the manufacture of human and animal figurines. These figurine fragments found at Mehargarh show close affinity to those in the regions bordering Baluchistan most particularly Mundigak in Afghanistan and Sahar-i-Sokhta in Iranian Siestan.The displayed objects from the collection of the Quetta Museum, excavated at Mehargarh, highlight important links between the Indus Valley, Iranian Plateau and South Central Asia. They also confirm that the pottery traditions of Pakistan are amongst the most ancient in the world.
In Lahore tile-craft flourished under the Muslims who brought their own traditions from Central Asia and also drew upon the indigenous pool of talent that had grown up in Multan, Uchh and Thatta. The show contains fragments of enamel tile mosaic from the Lahore Fort. This superb art form centered on motifs of floral designs, figures of birds in flight, camel fights, hunting scenes with majestic royal elephants etc. Exquisite floriated and foliated decoration in a unique cut tile mosaic technique is also found at the Wazir Khan Mosque along with long panels of calligraphy in nastaliq, thuluth and naskh scripts. Other noteworthy monuments with regard to tile craft are the tombs of Jehangir and Asif Khan, and the Mosque of Dai Anga, Shah Jehans wet nurse. Discussing the range and focus of the exhibition curator Mohatta Nasreen Askari explains that,
“The Indus Valley tradition is interesting because it is the outcome of diverse influences that passed through the region and the traditions that developed there reached a zenith because of patronage. Likewise it is important to realize how traditions fed in from Central Asia and the north into Lahore and Kashmir and how the traditions from the west and Persia fed into Sindh. It was the coming together of two streams, the Arabs and the Iranians, and the melding and flowering of talent that took place, the production and development of art forms —that really is the ethos and the underpinning of the exhibition.”—Photography by Fahim Siddiqi
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