http://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/50343/fullAqua Blown-Glass Hammam Ceiling Lamps18th - 19th centuryColored glassThis thick glass lamp, called a “hammam lamp” is designed to be recessed into a dome. Hammams, or public bathhouses, were ubiquitous in cities under Islamic rule, not only a source of hygiene, but also social gathering places. Concial lamps such as this would have been set into the domed ceilings of the hot, windowless rooms of a hammam. Despite the name used to identify this type of lamp, these lamps were also found in other types of domed buildings. The architecture of hammams evolved from the tradition of Roman baths and adapted to meet the Islamic religious requirements for washing. These lamps were created in Damascus while the city was under the rule of the Ottoman dynasty. Hammams in Ottoman Damascus typically consisted of a simple hot room with adjacent chambers.Glasshttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3645/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/62827/fullCarved and Painted Wooden Ceiling with Stellar and Geometric Motifs1937Wood (cedar), polychrome pigments, gilding, bole, varnishThe ceiling overlooking the foyer is made of richly gilded and painted wood. The colorful geometric and floral motifs painted on the beams are offset by several unpainted beams in the central recessed portion. The ceiling, along with other architectural elements and furnishings, was custom-made for Shangri La by Moroccan artisans working under the supervision of the French firm S.A.L.A.M. René Martin based in Rabat, Morocco. This commission coincided with the revival and adaptation of Moroccan traditional arts in the twentieth century during the French colonial rule of Morocco (1912–1956). During this period, a French colonial administrator named Jean Gallotti published a two volume publication, Le Jardin et la Maison Arabes au Maroc (“The Arab Garden and House in Morocco”). This publication was owned by Doris Duke and served as a point of reference for both the ceiling and colorful stained glass windows of the foyer of Shangri La. (The design precedent for the ceiling appears as plate 32 of Gallotti’s book). Like museums and schools of traditional arts established during the French administration in Morocco, this book categorizes Moroccan arts by their material and aesthetic qualities, rather than their historical period or cultural context. The ceiling is composed of cedar wood, which is native to the Atlas mountains of Morocco. Because the climate in Hawaii differs greatly from the arid conditions of North Africa, the foyer ceiling has undergone careful conservation.Woodworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3569/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/15549/fullCarved Wooden Ceiling and Muqarnas Squinches with Gilded, Painted, and Mirror Insets ('Ajami Technique)18th centuryWood, polychrome pigments, gildingInteriors of affluent homes in Damascus were typically decorated from top to bottom. The ceiling overlooking the ‘ataba, or antechamber, of the Ottoman Gallery is no exception. The ceiling is composed of long, decorated planks of wood framed with muqarnas, a honeycomb vault-like embellishment that often appears in architecture throughout the Islamic world. The painting technique used to decorate the ceiling is known as ‘ajami, a technique wherein gesso is applied in relief, illuminated with metal leaf, and tinted with colorful glazes. As visitors move through the room, light glimmers and dances off of the illuminated surfaces and the tiny mirrors inlaid into the surface of the ceiling. Today, the decoration of the wooden ceiling appears dark brown with muted tones due to a layer of varnish applied at a later date. Made of natural resins, the varnish darkened the surface color over time. The original, unvarnished ceiling would have been bright and colorful. Woodworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/6368/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/16439/fullCeiling of the Damascus Room1750-1800, with some panels added in 1953-54Wood, pigments, gilding, metal leaf, translucent glazesThis intricate carved and painted ceiling overlooks the Qajar gallery, formerly referred to as the Damascus room. Its ornamentation and composition, with a large central medallion and multiple borders, is reminiscent of carpet design. The ceiling is painted with floral, geometric and vegetal motifs, using the ‘ajami technique, in which gesso is applied to the woodwork in relief, painted with washes of brightly colored glazes, and illuminated with metal leaf. This ceiling is part of an interior composed of both historic and recreated elements of a traditional home in Damascus. The interior would have comprised the qa’a, or reception hall, where visitors were received. Because the dimensions of this room at Shangri La differs from a historical home in Damascus, additional wood panels were added to fit the width of the ceiling, while others, such as the central panel with the carved motif, were shortened. Homes in Damascus were built with high ceilings in order to retain cool air throughout the day. In a traditional reception hall in Damascus, a tall section of whitewashed wall separated the painted wall paneling from the ceiling. In order to accommodate the much shorter ceiling at Shangri La, the original corner brackets were removed and the original cornice was replaced to allow the ceiling to rest directly above the wall panels. Woodworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3605/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/56744/fullGilded and Polychrome Painted Carved Wooden Ceiling Cornice18th - 19th centuryWood, polychrome pigmentsOriginally created for another room of Shangri La, these carved wooden brackets now occupy the four corners of the Ottoman gallery. The ceilings of traditional domestic reception halls in Damascus are typically very tall, a feature designed to retain cool air throughout the day. When the former “Damascus Room” (now the Qajar Gallery) was retrofitted into one of Shangri La’s guest rooms in the 1950s, the ceiling was too low to include these ornate elements. They were installed almost 25 years later when Doris Duke installed the former “Syrian Room” (now the Ottoman Gallery) in the late 1970s-80s.Woodworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/6369/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/58480/fullHanging Ceiling Lamp with Arabesque Motifs19th-20th centuryCopper alloyThis pierced copper lamp (one of four) is in the shape of a shallow basin pierced with tiny perforations forming geometric designs. The lamp is suspended by four ornate chains. The bottom of the lamp is pierced with a circular rosebud [?] design. A large inscription band encircles the body of the lamp, in praise of the Mamluk ruler, an-Nāṣir Muḥammad ibn Qalāwun who ruled Egypt in three reigns during the late 1200s and 1300s: “Sultan al-Malik al-Nasir, helper to God’s religion and assister of the world always.” These lamps were not created during the reign of an-Nasir Muhammad, but rather during in the nineteenth and twentieth century when the style of the Mamluk period (1250–1517) reemerged, in part, due to a growing demand from European and American museums, collectors, and tourists. Artisans in Syria and Egypt met the demand, producing an array of objects in the “Mamluk revival” style, such as lamps, basins, and kursi (Qur’an stands). Some Mamluk revival objects produced in Cairo in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are direct copies of original objects held by the Museum of Islamic art in Cairo.Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3570/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/58478/fullHanging Ceiling Lamp with Arabesque Motifs19th-20th centuryCopper alloyThis pierced copper lamp (one of four) is in the shape of a shallow basin pierced with tiny perforations forming geometric designs. The lamp is suspended by four ornate chains. The bottom of the lamp is pierced with a circular rosebud [?] design. A large inscription band encircles the body of the lamp, in praise of the Mamluk ruler, an-Nāṣir Muḥammad ibn Qalāwun who ruled Egypt in three reigns during the late 1200s and 1300s: “Sultan al-Malik al-Nasir, helper to God’s religion and assister of the world always.” These lamps were not created during the reign of an-Nasir Muhammad, but rather during in the nineteenth and twentieth century when the style of the Mamluk period (1250–1517) reemerged, in part, due to a growing demand from European and American museums, collectors, and tourists. Artisans in Syria and Egypt met the demand, producing an array of objects in the “Mamluk revival” style, such as lamps, basins, and kursi (Qur’an stands). Some Mamluk revival objects produced in Cairo in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are direct copies of original objects held by the Museum of Islamic art in Cairo.Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/5304/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/58484/fullHanging Ceiling Lamp with Arabesque Motifs19th-20th centuryCopper alloyThis pierced copper lamp (one of four) is in the shape of a shallow basin pierced with tiny perforations forming geometric designs. The lamp is suspended by four ornate chains. The bottom of the lamp is pierced with a circular rosebud [?] design. A large inscription band encircles the body of the lamp, in praise of the Mamluk ruler, an-Nāṣir Muḥammad ibn Qalāwun who ruled Egypt in three reigns during the late 1200s and 1300s: “Sultan al-Malik al-Nasir, helper to God’s religion and assister of the world always.” These lamps were not created during the reign of an-Nasir Muhammad, but rather during in the nineteenth and twentieth century when the style of the Mamluk period (1250–1517) reemerged, in part, due to a growing demand from European and American museums, collectors, and tourists. Artisans in Syria and Egypt met the demand, producing an array of objects in the “Mamluk revival” style, such as lamps, basins, and kursi (Qur’an stands). Some Mamluk revival objects produced in Cairo in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are direct copies of original objects held by the Museum of Islamic art in Cairo.Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/5305/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/58481/fullHanging Ceiling Lamp with Arabesque Motifs19th-20th centuryCopper alloyThis pierced copper lamp (one of four) is in the shape of a shallow basin pierced with tiny perforations forming geometric designs. The lamp is suspended by four ornate chains. The bottom of the lamp is pierced with a circular rosebud [?] design. A large inscription band encircles the body of the lamp, in praise of the Mamluk ruler, an-Nāṣir Muḥammad ibn Qalāwun who ruled Egypt in three reigns during the late 1200s and 1300s: “Sultan al-Malik al-Nasir, helper to God’s religion and assister of the world always.” These lamps were not created during the reign of an-Nasir Muhammad, but rather during in the nineteenth and twentieth century when the style of the Mamluk period (1250–1517) reemerged, in part, due to a growing demand from European and American museums, collectors, and tourists. Artisans in Syria and Egypt met the demand, producing an array of objects in the “Mamluk revival” style, such as lamps, basins, and kursi (Qur’an stands). Some Mamluk revival objects produced in Cairo in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are direct copies of original objects held by the Museum of Islamic art in Cairo.Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/5306/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/58409/fullHanging Ceiling Lamp with Punched Floral Motifs20th centuryCopper alloyThis hanging lamp (one of six) illuminates the central courtyard at Shangri La. The lamp was custom-made for Shangri La by P. M. Allah Buksh & Son, a company that has operated in Jaipur, India since the 1880s. The design was inspired by existing nineteenth-century lamps in the collection from Qajar-era Iran. Registers of geometric design adorn the bulbous neck, belly, and inverted dome of the vessel. All the surfaces are incised with elaborate floral motifs, filtering the light of the custom frosted Mylar light diffusers within.Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/5391/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/58406/fullHanging Ceiling Lamp with Punched Floral Motifs20th centuryCopper alloyThis hanging lamp (one of six) illuminates the central courtyard at Shangri La. The lamp was custom-made for Shangri La by P. M. Allah Buksh & Son, a company that has operated in Jaipur, India since the 1880s. The design was inspired by existing nineteenth-century lamps in the collection from Qajar-era Iran. Registers of geometric design adorn the bulbous neck, belly, and inverted dome of the vessel. All the surfaces are incised with elaborate floral motifs, filtering the light of the custom frosted Mylar light diffusers within.Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/6109/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/58408/fullHanging Ceiling Lamp with Punched Floral Motifs20th centuryCopper alloyThis hanging lamp (one of six) illuminates the central courtyard at Shangri La. The lamp was custom-made for Shangri La by P. M. Allah Buksh & Son, a company that has operated in Jaipur, India since the 1880s. The design was inspired by existing nineteenth-century lamps in the collection from Qajar-era Iran. Registers of geometric design adorn the bulbous neck, belly, and inverted dome of the vessel. All the surfaces are incised with elaborate floral motifs, filtering the light of the custom frosted Mylar light diffusers within.Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/6110/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/58407/fullHanging Ceiling Lamp with Punched Floral Motifs20th centuryCopper alloyThis hanging lamp (one of six) illuminates the central courtyard at Shangri La. The lamp was custom-made for Shangri La by P. M. Allah Buksh & Son, a company that has operated in Jaipur, India since the 1880s. The design was inspired by existing nineteenth-century lamps in the collection from Qajar-era Iran. Registers of geometric design adorn the bulbous neck, belly, and inverted dome of the vessel. All the surfaces are incised with elaborate floral motifs, filtering the light of the custom frosted Mylar light diffusers within.Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/7965/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/58411/fullHanging Ceiling Lamp with Punched Floral Motifs20th centuryCopper alloyThis hanging lamp (one of six) illuminates the central courtyard at Shangri La. The lamp was custom-made for Shangri La by P. M. Allah Buksh & Son, a company that has operated in Jaipur, India since the 1880s. The design was inspired by existing nineteenth-century lamps in the collection from Qajar-era Iran. Registers of geometric design adorn the bulbous neck, belly, and inverted dome of the vessel. All the surfaces are incised with elaborate floral motifs, filtering the light of the custom frosted Mylar light diffusers within.Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/7966/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/58410/fullHanging Ceiling Lamp with Punched Floral MotifsCopper alloy.This hanging lamp (one of six) illuminates the central courtyard at Shangri La. The lamp was custom-made for Shangri La by P. M. Allah Buksh & Son, a company that has operated in Jaipur, India since the 1880s. The design was inspired by existing nineteenth-century lamps in the collection from Qajar-era Iran. Registers of geometric design adorn the bulbous neck, belly, and inverted dome of the vessel. All the surfaces are incised with elaborate floral motifs, filtering the light of the custom frosted Mylar light diffusers within.Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/7967/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/46849/fullMirrored Muqarnas-Inspired Ceiling1938-1939Plaster (lime), mirrored glass, chrome plated brass moldings, steel armatureThis sparkling ceiling overlooks the former dressing room in the Mughal Gallery. The geometric, honeycomb-like vaults, called muqarnas, are formed from plaster inset with tiny, glittering mirrors. The inspiration for this design came from the tomb of Imam Reza in Mashhad in Iran, which Doris Duke visited on a trip to Iran in 1938. The mirrored ceiling, however, would not be out of place in Mughal India, where the domes and vaults of shish mahals, or “crystal palaces,” are covered with thousands of tiny mirrors, creating a dazzling effect. The rooms that today form the Mughal Gallery were originally Doris Duke’s private bedroom, dressing room and bathroom. They were referred to as the ‘Mughal Suite’ because of their architecture and decoration draw inspiration from the monuments of the Mughal dynasty, which ruled from 1526 until 1858 CE in South Asia. The inlaid marble, pierced stone screens and other decorative elements of the Mughal Suite can be compared, for instance, to the decoration of the Taj Mahal, the tomb built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan between 1631 and 1648 CE. Doris Duke would have seen the Taj and other Mughal buildings during her travels in India in 1935. Her version of Mughal architecture was created for her by the workshop of Rai Bahadur Seth Lachhman Das in Agra, India, working to the designs of Francis Barrington Blomfield, a British designer based in Delhi. The carved marble elements arrived and were installed in Hawaii in 1938-39.Stoneworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/5498/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/58419/fullPierced Bronze Ceiling Lamp with Engraved Figures and Glass Inlay19th - 20th centuryMetalwork/Pierced and engraved copper alloy with red glassThis hanging lamp is pierced throughout and inlaid with red glass, producing a reddish glow when lit. Both the curving dome and globular body of the lamp end in pointed finials. Although this hanging lamp was created in the 19th or 20th century, it was designed to imitate an aesthetic of an earlier era of Islamic art, the Mamluk dynasty, which ruled Egypt and Syria from 1250 to 1517. In the 19th century, the world was getting smaller as innovations in transportation — steamships and steam engines— sped up international travel, and international expositions brought the art of faraway lands to major cities in Europe and America. Increasing interest and access in the arts of Islamic lands led to growing trade in Islamic antiquities. Craftsmen in Cairo and Damascus rose to meet this demand by creating revival wares sold in the cities’ suqs or marketplaces.Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3712/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/58434/fullPierced Copper Ceiling Lamp with Glass Inlay19th - 20th centuryMetalwork/Pierced copper alloy with red glassA trade in antiques from Islamic lands was established in the mid-19th century. This was due, in part, to the rising interest of collectors, travelers and museums in Europe and America. At the same time, European goods flooded Middle Eastern markets, replacing local products. Local craftsmen embraced an entrepreneurial approach to meet the growing demand for Islamic antiques by reviving the aesthetic of an earlier era — the Mamluk dynasty, which ruled Egypt and Syria from 1250 to 1517. Objects in this style, including lamps, basins, and kursi (quran stands), were sold in the cities’ suqs, or markets, in Egypt and Damascus. Images of these marketwares piled high in suqs became a favorite subject of Orientalist painters, who depicted these interactions through the perspective of Western encounters with Islamic lands.Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3713/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/44112/fullPierced Copper Hanging Lamp with Thuluth Script19th - 20th centuryCopper alloy plated with white metal, probably silverThe South Asian gallery is illuminated by 4 pierced, copper alloy hanging lamps. Each is suspended from three chains with four cast medallion-shaped spacers. The pieced body of the lamps are divided into three bands. The uppermost band is encircled with a zig zag pattern. The central band is inscribed in Arabic in thuluth script with the honorifics of a Mamluk sultan. The bottom band is lined with rosebud motifs. The base of the lamps also contain inscriptions, encircled with zig zag patterns. These lamps were created in the 1800s and 1900s during the rule of the Ottoman empire. This style, known as “Mamluk Revival,” recalls the arts of the Mamluk dynasty in Egypt and Syria (1250–1517 CE). Metalworking of the Mamluk period was characterized by large, broad inscriptions, flowing arabesques, and floral ornamentation inspired by Ilkhanid and Chinese imports. Metalworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/3834/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/17813/fullPolychrome Carved and Painted Wooden Ceiling with Geometric MotifsMasonite, polychrome pigmentsWoodworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/4726/rdfhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/16951/fullPolychrome Wooden Ceiling Panels with Vegetal Motifs19th centuryWood, polychrome pigments, gildingThis painted, wooden ceiling overlooks the tazar, the raised seating area within the Ottoman gallery. The ceiling is painted with multicolored vegetal motifs. Originally, these paintings would have been bright and colorful. Today the colors appear subdued due to varnish applied at a later date. The tazar ceiling is separated from the rest of the room by high white walls, offset by colorful glass windows. At home in Damascus, the ceilings of reception halls like this one are typically very tall; some of the largest reception halls reach 32 feet (10 meters)! The height of the ceiling is related to the function of the room, helping to retain cool air throughout the day for the comfort of the occupants and their guests.Woodworkhttp://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/objects/8720/rdf