Lot 195
  • 195

A Damascus pottery tile, Syria, late 16th/early 17th century

Estimate
3,000 - 4,000 GBP
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Description

  • Ceramics
comprising two tiles, decorated in cobalt blue, turquoise, green and black on a white ground with entwining split-palmettes and floral vines, in a wood frame

Provenance

Boisgirard - Provence Cote d’Azur, Nice, 20 March 2007, lot 125
Previously in an old French private collection, Nice

Condition

In generally fairly good condition, one tile with a break and the other with two breaks, both with associated restoration, including some overpainting, some abrasion along edges, notably along centre, some minor pitting, colours generally bright and strong, some minor wear to frame, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

The design on this tile relates to the "Dome of the Rock" models, produced in Ottoman Syria, possibly Aleppo (see A. Millner, Damascus Tiles, Munich, 2015, p.274, no.6.74). 

Similar tiles are to be found in the Arab hall at Leighton House in London (1864-79), brought back from Damascus in the third quarter of the nineteenth century. The frame on this panel also suggests that these tiles were in Europe in the late nineteenth century.