Wrestlers of the 7th century AH: When sport became eternal in an Ilkhanid luster tile

Hidden among the treasures of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore is a remarkable fragment of medieval Iranian art: a six-pointed, star-shaped lusterware tile produced in Kashan during the Ilkhanid period (late 13th–early 14th century CE).

Against a deep cobalt-blue ground, shimmering white and golden-brown luster decoration frames a dynamic wrestling match.

At the center, two men are locked in combat.

One has been forced to the ground while his opponent bends over him, controlling his arm in a grappling hold rendered with striking realism. ...