White Court Art

Description

A SET OF THREE FRAMED DAMASCUS TILES, SYRIA, CIRCA 1600 This set of three Damascus tiles, dated to circa 1600 and presented within a later wooden triangular frame, forms a striking architectural composition evocative of an Ottoman gable or pediment. Originally part of a larger revetment scheme, the tiles have been arranged to emphasise their geometric cohesion and ornamental rhythm. The decoration is executed in underglaze-painted cobalt blue, turquoise and emerald green against a white ground, with details articulated in fine manganese-black outlines beneath a clear glaze. The central tile features a stylised floral spray rising within an angular cartouche, its serrated leaves and layered blossoms characteristic of the Ottoman decorative vocabulary. Flanking tiles continue the design with repeating palmette and foliate motifs, creating a continuous ornamental field across the three panels. A series of narrow border bands—composed of interlaced geometric patterns and stylised vegetal scrolls—frame the principal decoration, reinforcing the symmetry of the triangular arrangement. The vibrant cobalt ground contrasts sharply with the white reserve, while the turquoise accents lend luminosity and depth. Fine craquelure and minor edge losses attest to the tiles’ age and architectural origins. The reverse reveals the sandy buff earthenware bodies typical of Damascus production, bearing traces of mortar consistent with installation in a built setting. As a grouped and framed ensemble, the tiles present both their original decorative richness and their subsequent adaptation as display pieces, preserving the brilliance and refinement of late 16th- to early 17th-century Syrian ceramic art. Length x Height: 87 x 27cm