Excavation evidence indicates that this tile once graced the walls of a late thirteenth-century Ilkhanid palace known as Takht-i Sulaymän, located in a mountainous region southeast of Tabriz.
The affinity between this new Persian iconography and that of contemporary Yuan China strongly suggests that Ilkhanid artists were aware of Chinese models. As a result, Persian art produced under Ilkhanid rule exhibits an infusion of new motifs - including depictions of the feng (phoenix) and long (dragon), both traditional Chinese symbols of imperial sovereignty.
With ancestry that included Genghis Khan and the Great Khans of China, the Mongol Ilkhanid rulers had strong ties with eastern Asia, facilitating the movement of people and goods across the continent. Tile This image of a soaring phoenix with crested head and elaborate plumage, surrounded by swirling clouds, is a striking example of the adaptation of Chinese imagery by Persian artists.