The courtier’s ‘finger-in-mouth’ gesture has a symbolic meaning in Persian poetry and art. The original expression for this gesture in Farsi is “angusht bar dahan nihādan” (To put the finger on the mouth). It is “a manner of expression for being surprised”. See, F. Steingass, A Comprehensive Persian – English Dictionary Including the Arabic Words and Phrases to be Met with in Persian Literature, 1892, p. 114.

One of the most famous scenes of the ‘finger-in-mouth’ gesture is found in miniature paintings depicting two famous lovers from Persian poetry: Khosrow and Shirin from the famous romance by the poet Nizami Ganjavi (d. 1209). Khosrow heads for Armenia and comes upon Shirin bathing in a pool. As he nears, he is amazed at the beauty of Shirin, his finger raised to his mouth in astonishment. For further information on the ‘finger-in-mouth’ gesture please see, "The Reaction of Surprise “angusht be dahān/dandān gereftan” in Persian Poetry and Miniature" in the following link: https://www.sysislamicartjournal.ir/jufile?ar_sfile=1296136

The cuerda-seca (dry cord) technique, with which the present tile was produced, is used when applying coloured glazes to ceramic surfaces. Although some scholars postulated an Iranian origin, citing Umayyad-era examples from Suza, many scholars believe that this technique originated primarily in al-Andalus (Muslim Spain and Portugal) in the second half of the 10th century.

Buildings in the Safavid cities, especially those in the capital (Isfahan) and nearby Na‘in were decorated with elaborate cuerda-seca tile panels. While mosques and madrasas employed the traditional tile-making style of repeating geometric and vegetal designs, tile panels with narrative scenes were a significant innovation for secular settings. These scenes mostly depicted outdoor settings with courtly figures in garden landscapes. Some of these were used in royal garden pavilions and much favoured by the Safavid elite during the reign of Shah Abbas I (r. 1588-1629).

Similar Safavid cuerda-seca tiles are preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum (museum nos. 139-1891, 182-1853), London. For the V&A panel depicting a couple entertaining in a garden see, Tim Stanley, Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Middle East, V&A Publications, London, 2004, p. 59. For other comparable Safavid cuerda-seca tiles see, Gérard Degeorge and Yves Porter’s The Art of the Islamic Tile, Flammarion, Paris, 2002, pp. 150-155.