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Unique - Unusual - Hand
Made - Great Prices
HIGH END CRAFTS ... FOR LESS
Hand
painted - Easy assembly - Safe shipping - Each Tile is Unique
This auction is for a
new 18" H x 30" W Wall Mural composed
of 15 Ceramic Tiles,
each measures 6"x6"x0.25" thick.
Hand Painted in the Southern Mediterranean Country of Tunisia, Africa's
Northernmost Cape.
For interior & exterior use. Weather/frost
proof.
UV, scratch and
fade
resistant.
Cement recommended when installing
A HIGHER END HOME DECOR PRODUCT
Approx. Dimensions inches:
30" x 18" x 0.25" Thick
15 ceramic tiles total
Approx. Dimensions cm:
75cm x 45cm x 0.75cm Thick
15 ceramic tiles total
SHIPS FROM
THE ARTIST FROM EXOTIC TUNISIA
10-14 days
for delivery
Buyer pays shipping with payment expected
within 7 days. Thanks for viewing!
(SIMILAR PRODUCT LINE
AVAILABLE AT MY OTHER ITEMS FOR SALE)
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Your Ceramic Tiles From Behind
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Use Options:
Frequent Use,
Casual Use,
Decorative Use.
A real eye catching piece of art.
Mediterranean Design. Original Design.
Different ... isn't! On top of being
handmade and painted.
The Theme, is the added value of this
piece of art.
For more information about the value and origins
of this product, you are invited to read the "About Me" section by clicking
on
Three Main Product Lines
Olive
Wood - Hand Made Ceramics - Exotic Bird Cages
Olive Wood ... Crafts4less Added Value
More info about Olive Wood
Hand-Carved Tunisian Mediterranean Olive Wood has a history as rich
and interesting as the history of the country of Tunisia and of its
people. The diversity of cultural influences and the traditional
wood-turning skills that are passed down from one generation of
craftsman to the next, combine to create unique, one-of-a-kind olive
wood products that are truly works of art.
The
olive wood is interesting, in its own right, with no two grains
being alike. Mediterranean olive wood is heavy, dense and durable,
with a distinctive red pigment in its grain. Colors also range in
nuances of cream to dark brown, with irregular gray, brown, and
black lines. The complex and irregular veins give the carved olive
wood the appearance of marble. Olive wood requires minimal care. An
occasional rubbing with natural olive oil will restore the wood's
natural luster.
Tunisian Cultural Influences
Throughout its
history, a variety of nations held control of Tunisia, and people
from other nations migrated to this North African country. This led
to the variety of cultures living in Tunisia today. These
Mediterranean cultural influences are apparent in the beautiful
designs, patterns, and glazes of traditional Tunisian ceramics,
cloth tapestries, woven carpets, and the intricate olive wood
carvings that Tunisia is known for all over the world.
Brief History of Tunisia
Native
Tunisians are descendants of indigenous Berber and Arab tribes that
migrated to North Africa during the seventh century. Recorded
history in Tunisia begins with the arrival of Phoenicians, who
founded Carthage and other North African settlements.
Carthage was captured by the Romans in AD 146, and the Romans
continued to rule North Africa until they were defeated by Germanic
tribesmen from Europe in the fifth century.
The Muslim conquest in the seventh century transformed North Africa.
Tunisia became a center of Arab culture until its assimilation into
the Turkish Ottoman Empire in the 16th century.
In the 19th century, in 1869, an international financial commission
was formed, and France, the United Kingdom, and Italy established
control over the Tunisian economy. France later established a
protectorate in Tunisia, in 1881. Resistance to French rule
continued into the 20th century, and this rise of nationalism led to
Tunisia's independence in 1956.
Traditional Olive Wood Artistry
Hand-carved Tunisian Olive Wood has a history as rich and
interesting as the history of the country of Tunisia and of its
people. The diversity of cultural influences and the traditional
wood-turning skills that are passed down from one generation of
craftsman to the next, combine to create unique, one-of-a-kind olive
wood pieces that are truly works of art.
Mediterranean olive wood is heavy, dense and durable, with a
distinctive red pigment in its grain. Colors also range in nuances
of cream to dark brown, with irregular gray, brown, and black lines.
The complex and irregular veins give the carved wood the appearance
of marble. It is one of the most expensive woods around, and it is
rare to find olive wood carvings, or even olive wood in the United
States.
The
olive wood is interesting, in its own right, with no two grains
being alike. Olive wood is easily recognized and differentiated from
other woods by its unique and aesthetic grain. The artistically
smooth and exotic grain of the olive wood, tags it as the most
creative wood known to man. It is very difficult to match the grain
of two pieces since the pattern is completely hidden in the heart of
the wood. This durable wood needs only an occasional rubbing with
olive oil to bring out the pattern of the wood grain.
The characteristics of the olive wood renders it an ideal material
for a variety of crafted wares and decorating accessories such as
the cutting boards, trays, coasters, cutlery, bowls, chess sets and
sculpture found in marketplaces and households throughout
Mediterranean countries. This is especially true in Tunisia, where
the tradition is deeply rooted in local olive wood artistry.
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Hand Made Ceramics
HAND MADE
CERAMICS from
Nabeul (Neapolis, or New
City) ancient
battlefield for the Greek founded in the 5th Century AC and
twin sister to an other Neapolis (Naples, Italy),
is the Capital of the Ceramic in Tunisia.
Thanks
to its strategic location in the Central Coast of the
Mediterranean and the diversity of its agricultural produces,
Nabeul has known a massive flow of immigrants from all over the
Mediterranean who brought with them a know-how in agriculture
development as well as in manufacturing industries.
Known
since the Greek and Roman eras for its pottery
made out of fine terra cotta, Nabeul has developed a more
diversified quality of pottery with the arrival of Islam
to the Region, by shifting it styles to the well-known Persian
Decor (current Iran)
Ceramics has been since considered for Mosques and
Palaces Decor.
Nabeul
has know three major stages in its optimization of techniques and
pottery production.
In a
first stage, Nabeul's pottery shown strong development signs
following the influence of the Renaissance Movement,
born in the neighboring Italy.
Later
on, Muslims chased from Andalusia, Spain (15th
Century DC) after the conquest of Spain by the Catholics,
found refuge in the Region of Nabeul and neighboring areas.
A last
major influence on the fired pottery production took place
when the Country became under French Protectorate
(19-20th Century DC)
A dozen
of Mom & Pop companies, in major part of Andalusia,
Spain origins, supply about 80% of the Tunisian overall
Ceramics production, consisting of : building and
hardware (bathroom and kitchen decor) ,
decorative (ceramic murals and tiles) , and
kitchenware products (dinnerware and tea sets.)
The
increasing number of tourists visiting the region has contributed to
the growth of pottery production, soliciting artisans
to come out with designs to meet the "European Tastes."
Today,
local authorities finance networks of schools to teach the art of
pottery in order to boost supply, and support meeting the
international demand for Mom and Pop factories.
Nabeul's ceramics are mainly exported to Italy,
Malta, France, Greece, Spain, UK.,
Germany, Belgium, Argentina, Australia,
Canada ... and in recent years to the United States.
Wall
murals and backsplashes are "must have" in every Tunisian
house.
The
ceramic numbers and letters are the latest innovation
in the industry.
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EXOTIC BIRD CAGES FROM RAF-RAF
A small farming
village, mainly fishermen established at the base of a mountain
which advances in the Mediterranean in a very exotic cape,
RAFRAF, is part of a dozen villages situated in the Western
Coast of Tunisia, resided by descendents of Muslims of
Andalusia, chased out of Spain by «Isabella la Cattolica»
(Catholic Isabel) in 1942.
These
populations have brought with them from the rich Andalusia,
to Raf Raf and to other villages, a know-how in the hydraulic
field, farming, architecture, crafts, tissue and cotton, and other
manufacturing professions. Rafraf is celebrated in the
Country of Tunisia for :
-
farming (grapes, of
Raf Raf, a variety of very sweet grapes, as well as « the pear of
Raf Raf, red and yellow »)
-
high couture,
industry managed in big part by local housewives, producing new
designs of wedding bags very appreciated in the rest of the Country
-
bird cage
crafting, an industry run by young artisans, mainly by men workers.
Rafraf
is located by the « Ichckeul Lake » recognized by the UNESCO
as a « patrimoine mondial » due to the site role as Winter
Destination for a variety of birds avoiding the European
cold. It has been lately observed that bird species
all the way from Siberia fly to « Lake Ichckeul » in European
winter time.
In Raf
Raf, tradition is that every house has one or more bird cages
for canary bird as ornament, and the first voices of the
morning consisted of the village’s alarm a clock. Coffee shops,
different artisans, barber shops … had also the tradition of having
a bird cage with a canary at the work place, until the radio
has been invented.
About the Cage's Artist
Massoudi,
at
28 … has already 15 years of experience in manufacturing bird
cages. Already since elementary school, he helped his father at
the « bottega » manufacturing bird cages (a profession
transamitted from father to son) which he sold to tourists to pay
for college.
Half way
thru in college, Massoudi abandoned schooling and focused on
improving the Family’s Business of Bird Cages manufacturing.
With a
growth in the tourist visitors the region (5 million tourists
visited Tunisia in 2003, Tunisia for only 10 million
habitants), the bird cage demand went up, and Massoudi
requested a Government loan to improve his Mom & Pop business,
remodel the « bottega » and create a better business
environment in order to manufacture always a more qualitative
product.
With
a team of 3 co-workers, Massoudi specializes in manufacturing
a higher end product line. His bird cages are very requested
in the rest of the Country, and many European tourist bird
fans, take souvenir pictures with him as they celebrate the pick up
of a their custom made bird cage.
In early
2004, Massoudi asked for tech support to
introduce his Bird Cage on ebay. After
amazing market test results, Crafts4less became Massoudi’s
gateway to his Western bird cage Fans, and your gateway for a
Higher End Bird Cage; Fun for the Birds … Decorative
for the House.
About The Shape
The
bird cage tradition is known since the old Egyptian era, India,
Persian, Antique Greece, and the Sacre Roman Impire. But the cage
manufactured in Tunisia (more particularely in Raf Raf) has an
original shape. It is a reproduction of styles and motifs of of the
Arab Mulsim architecture developed in Syria, Iraq, and Muslim
Andalousie (8th-15th century) : the dome in metal wire consists of
the reproduction of the domes of the Mosques (as in the Cordoba
Mosque, now a Catholic Church)
The
shape of the base is the reproduction of Noble Families Balconies
(as we see it in the Al Hambra Palace, Grenada)
Even the geometric
shapes given to the meta in the bird cage, are an imitation of the
house windows in Old Town Cordoba, Grenada, and Seville in Spain, as
well as in many Tunisian houses.
The
Raf Raf Cage is manufactured in different sizes (anywhere from 10 to
60 inches in height, with a dome diameter usually half the height.)
It is offered either in natural wood and wire, or white painted wire
with blue, sugnificant to the Mediterranean colors.
It is commercialized
everywhere in Europe mainly in tourist areas.
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CERAMIC WALL MURALS
Simply contact us to receive your "in
stock wall murals e-catalogue" in your e-mail!
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BIDDING TIP:
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Origins of my Product
Clay
work is one of three activities that appeared with mankind. As with textiles
and leather, it is profoundly rooted Mediterranean Culture & Civilizations,
given that Mediterranean cities civilizations already were in contact with Pharaonic Egypt, Greece and Persia. The product you are looking at is the
result of long hours of work of a Tunisian artisan/artist. The design
reflects the historic influence Tunisia has had throughout the history:
Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Turkish, Spanish, Arabic, Persian, Jews, Christian,
Muslim, African, & French. Traditionally, there are two types of pottery:
one “turned” by men, the other “modeled” by women. The latter is confined to
rural areas and essentially utilitarian. Throughout history, we find that
“modeled” pottery in the West Mediterranean dates back to the first ages of
Neolithic. Every pottery bears forms and decorations adapted to its
function; every form has a cultural value and responds to a need.
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Large Selection of Wall Murals Hand
Painted |
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Do You Know That
...
TUNISIA HOSTS THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF
ROMAN ERA MOSAICS
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MOSAIC FLOOR NEPTUNE
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Do you Know That
...
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Most Parts of
The English Patient
Were Filmed in
Tunisia?
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CHECK OUT
My Other Items for Sale for Related Products
Other fine product lines featured in my “items for sale” : Wooden
Chess Set , Handmade Mortar and Pestle , Decorative Ceramic Plates , Hanging
Ceramic Bowls , Murals and Ceramic Tiles , Original Shaped Bird Cage …
Exotic House
Numbers 4 Less
Exotic Bird
Cages from the Artist
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Varies for non US Residents)
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Transaction Process
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Day 2:
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PRODUCTS WE
OCCASIONALLY LIST
UNIQUE
CERAMIC DRUM
EXOTIC OLIVE
WOOD COFFEE TABLE
MAGIC BERBER
RUG
UNIQUE SHAPED
CHESS SETS
OLIVE WOOD
PEPPER MILL
CERAMIC
DINNER SETS
And more ...
FREQUENTLY
LISTED PRODUCTS
LONGNECK
OLIVE WOOD VASE
WALL MURALS
CERAMIC TILES
HAND MADE
MORTAR PESTLE
UNIQUE SHAPED
BIRD CAGE
STACKABLE
BOWLS
UNIQUE FRUIT
BOWL
HOUSE NUMBERS
OIL BOTTLE
SALAD
UTENSILS
And more ...
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product lines of unique
"Handmades"
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