Overpainted Wood Paneling on a Private House in Siket el Giamellia in Cairo
1842
Step into 19th-century Cairo with this vibrant geometric design! Friedrich Maximilian Hessemer, a German architect, captured this intricate wood paneling pattern from a private home in the Gamaliya district around 1842. The interlocking stars and polygons in sage green and salmon pink are classic examples of Islamic geometric art, a style that deeply fascinated European artists during the Orientalist movement. While it looks like a beautiful textile or wallpaper, the German caption at the bottom reveals it is actually a precise record of painted woodwork ('Holzvertäfelung').
- Technique
- Lithograph