Damascus: Glass Painters

Date: c. 1990

Although a popular craft in the past, by c. 1990 Johannes Kalter found only one glass painter by the name of Abu Subchi Ittinawi. Glass paintings are a form of wall decoration popular among peasants and lower class urbanites. They often depict popular religious motifs such as Noah’s ark, pilgrimages to Mecca, and themes from heroic epics and love stories. Ittinawi’s main clients during this period are tourists and not the local population. See also: House Painter; Maker of Shadow Puppets.

Citation: Kalter, Johannes, “Rural Life and Peasant Culture”, in Kalter, Johannes, Margareta Pavaloi, and Maria Zerrnickel, eds. The Arts and Crafts of Syria: Collection Antoine Touma and Linden-Museum Stuttgart (London and New York: Thames and Hudson, 1992), p. 114.