Ancient Artifact Review 104 : Antique Jewish Hebrew tiles from Mellah Jewish Quarter Fes Morocco ( 19th Century)

This is a rare ceramic tile from the Mellah ( Jewish Quarter) of Fes Morocco from 19th Century. The tile is decorated with floral and vegetal motives with some Hebrew alphabets in the middle row.
The inscription looks like  ברך  (Kaph , Resh , Beth ) pronounced as Barak means blessing.
Originally the word "barak"  used in Genesis 24:11 means " to kneel". However a derived word means "to show respect" or "to bless" is used in Genesis 12:2.


It is very common for Jewish who are settling in Mellah Fes to decorate their houses with tiles inscribed with blessings or word of wisdoms.
In a book, Pottery from Morocco 19th-20th c entury, by Rachel Hasson, "Fes was the most important centre for clay vessels in Morocco.... large quantities of tiles were produced in Fes and were used as an architectural decoration. Most items were decorated with paint and then glazed"

From an auction of similar tile which can be seen at the link below, 6 pieces of tiles were sold for USD4,841
Kedem Auction

Artifact Specs :

Item : Ceramic Tile
Content : Vegetal motives with Hebrew word Kaph, Resh, Beth ( Barak) glazed in turquoise
Dim : 10cm x 10cm x 2cm
Date : 19th Century CE
Purchased Price :
Reference : Pottery from Morocco 19th-20th Century, p.4