.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
A number of Ottoman Turkish ceilings use the device of a central highly decorated area surrounded by lesser ornamentation, as is seen here. One of the most dramatic examples of this is the seventeenth century ceiling of a house, the Muradiyye, in Bursa (Aslanapa, 1971, pl.249 and p.331). Although the central panel there is hexagonal, the general composition, and in particular the treatment of the surrounding area, is very comparable to that seen here. The surround is made of pine boards overlaid by light ribs forming a hexagonal lattice, the centre of each hexagon filled with a rosette. As here also, the border is one which can be found in various decorative arts of the time including Iznik pottery.
An Ottoman ceiling of very similar proportions, but of slightly earlier date and with more detailed work particularly in the surrounding area, was sold in these Rooms 10 October 2000, lot 312. The centre of the present ceiling has many similarities with that one, notably the eight-pointed raidating stars worked into a geometric lattice, centred on octagonal panels which form a counterpoint with the raised stellar bosses.
An Ottoman ceiling of very similar proportions, but of slightly earlier date and with more detailed work particularly in the surrounding area, was sold in these Rooms 10 October 2000, lot 312. The centre of the present ceiling has many similarities with that one, notably the eight-pointed raidating stars worked into a geometric lattice, centred on octagonal panels which form a counterpoint with the raised stellar bosses.