Art of the Islamic and Indian World at Christie’s in April

LONDON.- A broad variety of works of art, paintings, manuscripts and an intricate and jewel-like panelled room will be offered at Christie’s sale of Islamic and Indian Art on 13 April 2010. The painted and gilt carved room (estimate: £200,000-300,000) recreates the splendour and beauty of Damascus in the late 18th/early 19th century. The fashion for richly decorated interiors gained popularity in the capital of Ottoman Syria during this period of the late 18th and 19th centuries. Hidden behind plain walls, the palaces of important families were places where the rococo fantasies of their owners came to life. The intricate giltwood mouldings, inset mirrors, carved niches, finely painted landscapes and bouquets of flowers, all contained in this superb interior, reflect the multicultural influences and wealth of the Old City, Damascus. The tradition of these rooms being assembled outside the City stem

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