The photographs bellow detail an attractive and quite well preserved example of Art Nouveau frieze made up from high quality ceramic tiles that display a repetitive of what to me looks like a blue water lily motif (it could also be another flower species) adorning the street façade of one of The Small Theatre’s buildings in Bucharest. The overall style of the edifice is inspired from French c19th historicist styles (ie neo-baroque) that has seen better days before the crude renovations performed during of the last few decades of communism and post-comunism. The frieze is the most attractive decorative element of the building although is quite difficult to notice from the street level. The provenance of these tiles, looking at the typology of their Art Nouveau design, is, in my opinion, from an workshop located in the Austrian-Hungarian empire of that era, a neighbouring state of Romania with which it had close economic and cultural ties.
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I endeavour through this daily series of articles to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of European architectural history and heritage.
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If you plan acquiring or selling a historic property in Romania or start a renovation project, I would be delighted to advice you in sourcing and transacting the property, specialist research, etc. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this weblog.
Valentin Mandache, architectural historian 