DAMASCUS PAINTED WOOD DOORS
in the form of a mihrab, carved in relief and decorated in polychrome and gilt with floral panels
163 by 84 cm (2)
In the 18th and 19th century, the fashion for richly decorated interiors gained enormous popularity in Damascus. Adapting a Western European style to more traditional Near-Eastern wooden interiors, the Damascene notables initiated a taste for richly decorated rooms permeated with various influences and involving many sophisticated techniques.
The interest for these panelled rooms and the fashion for collecting them can be traced back to the 19th century when they were sought after in particular for the residences of Western consuls to Damascus but also brought back to Europe and incorporated into Western interiors from around 1850. The pair of doors come from an exquisite Damascus room that must have been commission by a wealthy patron.
Provenance: Private UK collection
