Environmental pride: Damascus.Period Room from Damascus. Syria (Damascus), 1711-12. Carved and gessoed wood with painted decoration. Gift of Andrew Jergens, Cincinnati Art Museum Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1877 by the Women's Art Museum Association, the museum opened in 1886. Its collections contain examples spanning 3,000 years of artistic production. Works from Mesopotamia and medieval Europe are featured. . 1966.443. About the Art The Cincinnati Art Museum's Damascus Room is a very unique find in an American art American art, the art of the North American colonies and of the United States. There are separate articles on American architecture, North American Native art, pre-Columbian art and architecture, Mexican art and architecture, Spanish colonial art and architecture, museum. The room dates to the early eighteenth century, reflecting the tastes of Syrians under Turkish Ottoman rule. The lavish interior decorations indicate that it was most likely a parlor (or main living room) in the home of a wealthy Syrian family. It probably was an upstairs room where family and guests gathered for entertainment and to talk. The room includes a mihrab mihrab Arabic mihrab Semicircular prayer niche in the qiblah wall (the wall facing Mecca) of a mosque, reserved for the prayer leader (imam). The mihrab originated in the reign of the Umayyad caliph al-Walid I (705–715), when the famous mosques at , or prayer niche, on its main interior wall, which had windows looking out on to the busy street or alleyway. The opposite side of the room would have opened into an interior courtyard. The room's lavish decoration is painted on a slightly raised ground of gesso ges·so n. pl. ges·soes 1. A preparation of plaster of Paris and glue used as a base for low relief or as a surface for painting. 2. A surface of gesso. (a plaster-like mixture of gypsum gypsum (jĭp`səm), mineral composed of calcium sulfate (calcium, sulfur, and oxygen) with two molecules of water, CaSO4·2H2O. It is the most common sulfate mineral, occurring in many places in a variety of forms. and gum arabic gum Arabic, n Latin name: Acacia senegal; part used: gum; uses: lower cholesterol, kidney conditions, gum disease, oral health, sore throat, diarrhea; precautions: none known. Also called Egyptian thorn or senega. ). The painting is enhanced with a thin layer of gold leaf. The decorative elements are excellent examples of this Ottoman style. Vases of flowers and dishes of fruit (pears, apples, strawberries, grapes, and pomegranates) are surrounded by a variety of leaves and blossoms that intertwine and create intricate patterns. The ceiling is also highly decorated. It has recessed panels that are framed by complex geometric shapes This is a list of geometric shapes. Generally composed of straight line segments
prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. his own disposition." The room was originally part of a house in Damascus that was dismantled during the early twentieth century. During an overseas trip in 1932, Cincinnati art patron Andrew Jergens purchased the room in pieces, including the contemporary furniture that had been placed there. He installed the room in his home in Cincinnati and eventually donated it to the Cincinnati Art Museum in 1968. Things to Consider People from many different cultures have rooms in their homes where the family gathers and where friends can be welcomed. This room from Dasmascus is a highly decorated space that would impress and delight all who entered it. Engage students in a discussion about their own special rooms where they greet and entertain. How do these rooms differ from this room from Damascus? How are they similar? GalleryCards submitted by the Cincinnati Museum of Art |
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