Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Islamic Middle East, Room 42, The Jameel Gallery

Window

19th century (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. Such windows were used in the Middle East for centuries to adorn a variety of buildings, including palaces, mosques, houses, and tombs.

This window consists of small pieces of glass of different colours arranged within a plaster framework to form a depiction of date palms and cypresses. It was probably made in nineteenth-century Cairo. During this period the increasing influence of European fashions led to a decline in the production of such windows.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Carved stucco and stained glass
Brief description
Window made of perforated plaster backed with coloured glass, depiction of date palms and cypresses, Egypt, 19th century.
Physical description
This Islamic stained glass window is carved from a slab of stucco. It has a wooden frame with turned wood sides and an arch. The perforations in the stucco are backed with coloured glass. The design consists of a tall central palm tree with drooping green branches and clusters of red dates hanging below. There is a small green cypress tree at either side at the base, and eight single flowers. The background is decorated with small circular perforations backed with clear glass.
Dimensions
  • Height: 78cm
  • Width: 55cm
  • Depth: 6.8cm
Gallery label
Jameel Gallery Coloured Glass Windows Egypt, 1800-1900 Glazed windows of this type, both plain and decorative, are found in traditional buildings in Turkey and the Arab lands. They are usually set above a lower tier of unglazed windows that are sometimes covered by shutters or screens. The windows here consist of small pieces of glass arranged within a plaster framework. The designs include trellises, domed buildings, vases of flowers and palm trees with huge bunches of dates. Plaster and coloured glass Museum nos. ME.2, 3-2005; 311-1870; ME.1-2005; C.157-1932, Given by Sir Edmund Phipps, CB(Jameel Gallery)
Production
Ottoman period
Subjects 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. Such windows were used in the Middle East for centuries to adorn a variety of buildings, including palaces, mosques, houses, and tombs.

This window consists of small pieces of glass of different colours arranged within a plaster framework to form a depiction of date palms and cypresses. It was probably made in nineteenth-century Cairo. During this period the increasing influence of European fashions led to a decline in the production of such windows.
Other number
MES.LOST.3 - Previous lost number
Collection
Accession number
ME.3-2005

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Record createdSeptember 30, 2005
Record URL
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