Window

1883 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Glazed windows of this type, both plain and decorative, are found in traditional buildings in Turkey and the Arab lands. They are usually set at a high level, over unglazed windows that are sometimes covered by shutters and screens.

This window was made for display at the International Colonial Exhibition held in Amsterdam in 1883. It consists of small pieces of glass of different colours arranged in patterns within a plaster framework. It provides a late example of Islamic geometric ornament, in which balance among the individual design components is no longer maintained. One element, the starbursts based on a sixteen-pointed star, is visually dominant.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Carved stucco and stained glass
Brief description
Plaster window with coloured glass in a multiple-starburst pattern, Tunisia, 1883.
Physical description
This Tunisian Islamic stained glass window is carved from a rectangular slab of stucco and backed with red, green, yellow, orange and blue glass. The design is based around an elaborate geometric star pattern. The perforations are carved with a downward slant to direct incoming back-light to the floor. The design is topped with a carved lobed arch.
Dimensions
  • Height: 95.5cm
  • Width: 61cm
  • Depth: 5cm
Gallery label
(2006)
Jameel Gallery

Starburst Window
Tunisia
1883

In this late example of geometric ornament, balance among the individual design components is no longer maintained. One element, the starbursts based on a 16-pointed star, is visually dominant. The window was made for display at the International Colonial Exhibition held in Amsterdam in 1883.

Plaster and coloured glass

Museum no. 1277-1883
Object history
Made for the International Colonial Exhibition held in Amsterdam in 1883.
Subject depicted
Summary
Glazed windows of this type, both plain and decorative, are found in traditional buildings in Turkey and the Arab lands. They are usually set at a high level, over unglazed windows that are sometimes covered by shutters and screens.

This window was made for display at the International Colonial Exhibition held in Amsterdam in 1883. It consists of small pieces of glass of different colours arranged in patterns within a plaster framework. It provides a late example of Islamic geometric ornament, in which balance among the individual design components is no longer maintained. One element, the starbursts based on a sixteen-pointed star, is visually dominant.
Collection
Accession number
1277-1883

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Record createdSeptember 30, 2005
Record URL
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