I bought this out of pure curiosity, but don't have any clue what to call it, what its made of (possibly copper??), how old it could be and where it could have come from? Also it would be interesting to know what this type of art is called. The ornament or whatever it is called is about 20x14cm big/small. The frame looks like it is set together out of thousands little tiles (at least the remaining parts on the sides) and the back plate seems to me as if it had been replaced at some point. Any information and help would be appreciated!
The frame looks like a marquetry frame made in the Middle East somewhere. The artwork looks like it was made elsewhere, but WDIK?
The copper/silver reminds me of an inlaid plate a friend from Turkey gave me some 40 years ago when she returned from a trip back home.
The outard looks Middle East; the innard looks Japanese. (To me - BWDIK) Tesserae always makes me think of that movie with Melina Mercouri (??) and the laughing scene. I remember hoping the director had gotten it in one take! TOPKAPI! That one!
The frame could be from anywhere between Egypt and Iran, but my money is on Turkey based on the metalwork. The Greeks use it too. At one time it was all hand done, but now a lot of it is commercial.
The frame is most definitely Persian (Iranian), and my brain has quite forgotten the name of the technique. The thing in the middle is copper with a bit of silver wash. I've an older frame like this, with a nice piece of painted ivory, given to me some years back by a Persian friend. Made me research them a bit.
