Wall covering

The so-called Damascus room was purchased by the Museum of Applied Arts at the Antwerp International Exhibition in 1885 as a representative masterpiece of Oriental handicraft.

According to the Arabic inscription above the windows and doors the richly painted wooden interior of a residential house was made in 1802-1803 (AH 1217).

The ceiling and wall coverings of the "Turkish Rococo" style interior consist of more than 100 pieces. A beam and two consoles divide the room, measuring ca. 5,5 x 4 m, into two unequal parts. The smaller part served as vestibule, its wooden elements are decorated with floral motifs, while the panels of the main room are decorated with urban scenes.

On both types of element, there are reliefs modelled in plaster as well as flat, painted surfaces. The ceiling of the vestibule and the main room is decorated with adhered carvings and mirror fragments. The walls are divided by wooden lattice windows, shelved niches and integrated cabinets. In the vestibule, there are two entrance doors and a niche with adhered carvings.