Authors : Sabrina Ghattas; Wided Melliti

Volume/Issue : Volume 10 - 2025, Issue 12 - December

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/bdh68uaf

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/25dec1222

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Abstract : The Burtal Haider Summer Palace in Tunisia stands as a remarkable testament to the beylical court’s pronounced interest in Italian artistic traditions. Constructed in the mid-19th century, the building is distinguished by its use of ceramic tiles drawn from a corpus of approximately twenty exclusively Neapolitan designs. These decorative elements are arranged according to structured compositional principles—distributed in registers, framed panels, or as baseboards—reflecting the ornamental conventions of the period. The tiles adorning the upper-level large room and the singular T-shaped chamber remain in a commendable state of preservation and feature exclusively floral motifs. The palace is further enhanced by coffered ceilings painted with Italian Rococo patterns, which have been meticulously restored. Together, these elements form a coherent stylistic ensemble with the polychrome ceramic cladding. This article aims to examine the edifice from both architectural and decorative perspectives, with the objective of identifying the interplay between Italian influences and local traditions.

Keywords : Burtal Haider Palace; 19th Century; Tunisia; Architecture; Decorative Cladding; Cermaic Tiles; Italian Influences.

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