Subject comparison from the cited registry. Date, attribution and rights qualifications remain below; not authentication or maker certification.
Wall tile with a man carrying a wine bottle, Iran, 1600s, acc. 1915.648 · Cleveland Museum of Art · CC0 (museum open access) · Photo source ↗
Spelling and pronunciation
- Persian: هفترنگ
- Transliteration: haft-rang
- English usage: Seven-colour tile
Spellings vary between dealers, museums and regions. Usage notes are under review.
How the term is used
Literally ‘seven colours’; used for painted polychrome glazed tiles, especially from the Safavid period onwards.
Common confusions
Mistaken for moarraq. Haft-rang colours sit on one tile, with no joints between the colours.
A name, not an exact colour count
Seven-colour is conventional technique vocabulary, not a requirement for exactly seven visible colours. An individual tile can hold several colours while many tiles extend a scene across a wall. Read the tile and whole panel separately.
Safavid, later and contemporary examples may share compositions. Palette and outlines cannot date a tile or establish a firing sequence. Repairs and replacement tiles belong to separate architectural phases. Printed decoration requires a different production description from hand painting.
Compare the evidence
| Object or term | What to examine | Limit of the evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Polychrome tile | Several colours in one body | Colour count is not a test. |
| Mosaic | Separately fitted pieces | Different construction. |
| Replacement | Documented installation | Matching design is not matching date. |
Practical questions
- Does a black outline prove the technique?
- No. Compare body, glaze arrangement, joints and documented process rather than one visual clue.
Sources and further reading
- Canadian Conservation Institute · Caring for cultural heritage
Preventive care context; not a glossary etymology source or individual treatment assessment.
Editorial draft awaiting specialist review. References provide context, not verification of every statement, object attribution or current workshop access.
Used in these crafts
Square polychrome tiles painted with several overglaze colours and fired together, allowing large architectural schemes to be produced faster than cut tile mosaic.