Perhaps the most famous aspect of Rüstem Pasha Mosque, however, which still draws crowds today, is the extensive use of Iznik tiles. These tiles were produced by potters in the city of Iznik, whose skills were, during the elaborate building campaigns of the mid-sixteenth century, increasingly in demand. Interestingly, Sinan had used these tiles only sparingly in the grander Süleymaniye Mosque, also of his design. The tiles adorn the walls, piers, mihrab (sacred niche), and minbar (pulpit) of the mosque's interior, in a dizzying pattern of stylised and more relaxed, free-flowing floral and foliate designs. The designs, which include both compositions spread over many tiles and crafted to fit a specific surface and mass-produced modular tiles cut to fit the wall on which they were installed, are executed on a white slip in black, purple, cobalt blue, turquoise, and the famous coral red, a rare and difficult colour to produce in tile work, under a transparent glaze. Some of the design motifs echo those found in contemporary textiles, the production of which had been spurred by Rüstem's astute fiscal policies.
[Sold for $1,945,000 at Sotheby’s, New York - Oil on canvas, 67.6 x 88.5 cm]