53 - Ottoman Syria, Damascus, probably 19th century.

Ottoman Syria, Damascus, probably 19th century. Panel consisting of two siliceous ceramic tiles decorated with a design painted under a transparent glaze depicting a pattern of blooming flowers and flower buds. Panel without frame: 23 x 44 x 1.6 cm Each tile: - 23 x 21.5 x 1.6 cm - 23 x 22.5 x 1.6 cm (chips, chips and cracks) Wooden frame. Private collection, France. Expert: Camille Celier. Provenance: Provenance according to label on the back: Hôtel des Ventes de Marseille, October 18–20, 1938, no. 91, collection of the widow of the sculptor Gonzalès, formerly in the collection of Cdt J. Boussaud, Marseille. Note: Tiles featuring the same decorative motif known as the “lotus network” and the same color palette are held in the collections of the Louvre Museum (OA 7457 bis 44 and 45). They are attributed to Damascus in the 17th–18th centuries, but the thinner clay body of our tiles and the line work suggest a later date of origin.