Publication Date
Year 751-757 AH / 1351-1356 AD
Publication Place
-
Batha Museum; Fez
Subject
Enamelled pieces of pottery.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 160 سم؛ الطول : 77 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
C3
Record ID
object;ISL;ma;Mus01_C;26;ar
Library Location
Batha Museum; Fez
Date
Year 751-757 AH / 1351-1356 AD
Notes
This panel of tiles, which covered the entrance wall of the Al-Bu Ananiya Madrasa, was decorated with underlining, which is a decorative technique based on geometric shapes, and is often used in wall coverings with colored ceramic tiles. Each of these elements has its own name, and the “zlaijians = makers of tiles” knew by heart the special sizes, decorative shapes, and dimensions corresponding to each item. The decorative shapes are first drawn in advance on the slab, then they are cut using a sharp hammer, and their edges are made slanted and incised into the pottery in a way that gives each piece an angular profile. These elements, when assembled, form a multicolored mosaic with broad, simple decorative motifs in colors dominated by white, yellow ochre, and black. The painting included a huge line drawing a straight interlocking using white rods, an innovation introduced by the Almohads in their architectural decoration in the 7th century AH / 13th century AD, and a multi-colored filling, composed of decorative elements whose precise shapes fit precisely into the spaces defined by the rods. The latticework decoration begins with small white columns surrounded by a green rod, the path of which ends with half-knots of the latticework decoration itself, then encircles a network of concentric rhombus shapes composed of elements of yellow ochre, black-violet, and emerald green, or yellow ochre, black, and blue-violet, the center of which is all occupied by a black piece. This painting highlights the skill of the “Zalajid” craftsmen during the Marinid period, who, like their Nasrid counterparts, produced Andalusia, a premature masterpiece, relies on optical illusions.
Sample Text
Naima El Khatib-Boujibar "Zellij painting" in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;ma;Mus01_C;26;ar
