Qallalline Tile - Tunisia 18th centuuyr

18th century Qallalline tile in the Damascus style. An identical example can be found in the Sèvres-Cité de la céramique collection of earthenware tiles (15th-18th centuries) under inventory number MNC 18959.3
It is published (fig 13) and analysed (paragraph 17 online) in the excellent online summary of Céline Ventura Teixeira's work on the Cité de la Céramique's earthenware tiles "Un voyage de formes et de techniques. La collection des carreaux de faïence de Sèvres-Cité de la céramique (xve-xviiie siècles) / The migration of forms and techniques: the Sèvres-Cité de la céramique earthenware tile collection (15th-18th centuries)" (Available online https://books.openedition.org/psorbonne/62842?lang=fr)

"The Qallaline tiles in the collection are representative of the incorporation of other aesthetics inherited from the Eastern tradition, and more specifically from the Ottoman tradition. The attraction for formulas belonging to the Iznik ceramic repertoire, the reinterpretation of the arabesque and phytomorphic forms are all phenomena perceptible in the tile productions. In the Damascus style [fig. 13], the decoration consists of interlacing floral stems punctuated by two rosettes and two composite flowers from which two palms, also known as saz, emerge.
The floral repertoire is that of Ottoman ceramics from the Iznik workshops, where naturalistic decoration is dominated by the use of different shades of blue. Endlessly varied, this model adorns the lower panelling of the Sidi Sahbi mosque in Kairouan, and illustrates not only the possible applications but also the effect created by these genuine earthenware hangings".

Qallaline ceramics or Kallaline ceramics is a type of ceramic characteristic of Tunisian architecture in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is named after the Qallaline district of Tunis, where most of the tiles were produced. Although tile production began as early as the 16th century, before the advent of Ottoman rule, the peak of their production and artistic quality came in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Size: 15,5x15,5x2cm.
One corner damaged at the back, barely visible from the front.