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Lot Essay
Following its conquest in the mid 16th century, the Ottoman tile tradition soon found popularity in Ottoman Syria. In the 1570s, vertical panels began to appear in an architectural context and were often used for decorative purposes. In sixteenth century Damascus, gardens were a symbol of wealth and opulence, something our tile with its vase motif draws upon. Packed with hyacinths, tulips and carnations, a garden or house with flowers would have been considered the height of luxury in an otherwise parched city (Arthur Milner, Damascus Tiles, London, 2015, p.33).
The border tiles with their interwoven outspread ‘split palmette’ design are very similar to a single tile dated circa 1570-1580 (Milner, op.cit., p.287, fig. 6.102). These in turn share similarities with border tiles found on tile panels in the Victoria and Albert Museum (346:1 to 29-1896) and the prayer hall of the Sinaniyya Mosque. The spandrel-style tiles in the upper corners of our panel are reminiscent of the ‘cusped medallion’ motif found on the back of the wall of the Zawiya of Sa’d al-Din (figs. 4.50 and 4.51, op.cit. p. 159). The features shared across these different examples demonstrates the vigour of the local industry. Local production favoured a muted palette of greens, turquoises and the manganese found here.
Although the vase of our panel with the ‘Buddha’s lip’ motif has been designed cohesively, it is likely that the surrounding tiles were reassembled with the aim of fitting predetermined dimensions. Further vase motif panels can be found in the Arab Hall at Leighton House (Joseph Friedmann, Inside London, NY, 1988, p. 67) and the Darwish Pasha complex. Another was sold in these Rooms, 4 November 2010, lot 286 and is now in the Museum of Islamic Arts, Doha (1075.2011).
The border tiles with their interwoven outspread ‘split palmette’ design are very similar to a single tile dated circa 1570-1580 (Milner, op.cit., p.287, fig. 6.102). These in turn share similarities with border tiles found on tile panels in the Victoria and Albert Museum (346:1 to 29-1896) and the prayer hall of the Sinaniyya Mosque. The spandrel-style tiles in the upper corners of our panel are reminiscent of the ‘cusped medallion’ motif found on the back of the wall of the Zawiya of Sa’d al-Din (figs. 4.50 and 4.51, op.cit. p. 159). The features shared across these different examples demonstrates the vigour of the local industry. Local production favoured a muted palette of greens, turquoises and the manganese found here.
Although the vase of our panel with the ‘Buddha’s lip’ motif has been designed cohesively, it is likely that the surrounding tiles were reassembled with the aim of fitting predetermined dimensions. Further vase motif panels can be found in the Arab Hall at Leighton House (Joseph Friedmann, Inside London, NY, 1988, p. 67) and the Darwish Pasha complex. Another was sold in these Rooms, 4 November 2010, lot 286 and is now in the Museum of Islamic Arts, Doha (1075.2011).