Portion of a medieval floor inspired by the Alhambra in Granada. Scale model
made from authentic bricks and ceramic fragments.
THE PIECE IN DETAIL:
The Alhambra is a complex of palaces built by the Muslim kings of Granada
between the 13th and 15th centuries. Well known for its architecture and its
rich decoration made with stucco, wood and ceramics embodied in original and
combined forms, this medieval jewel has survived (almost) intact to this day
and is visited every year by thousands of tourists.
However, what often goes unnoticed in these buildings are the floors, which
are only partially original due to the many feet that have been treading on
them over the centuries. This miniature reproduces a brick floor laid out in
a pattern similar to the ancient 'opus spicatum', but interspersed
with small tiles of different colors called 'olambrillas' often
decorated with drawings and symbols. This kind of flooring can be seen, for
example, in the Lindaraja courtyard or in the Generalife Palace, a summer
residence separated from the rest of the palaces and ordered to be built at
the end of the 13th century by the second sultan of the Nasrid dynasty,
Muhammad II.
Generalife (Jannat al-'arif) would mean "architect's garden", for which the
author of the Domus used this design to build the floor of
one of the rooms
of his Genoese palace. Don't be surprised by this architectural
contamination between Genoa and Granada, since it's just one of the many
points of contact that these two towns (opposite in other respects) have.
Yes, because it turns out that the Generalife Palace, until the beginning of
the 20th century, was owned by a noble Genoese family, the Durazzos. Just a
oincidence?
The materials used are: bricks and olambrillas cut from the remains of
architectural elements and medieval ceramics found around Granada, vinyl glue,
transparent enamel. All the pieces are worked without the use of molds.
Size: 5 x 5 x 0,15 cm (2 x 2 x 0,06 in)
Frame size: 11,5 x 11,5 x 3 cm (4,5 x 4,5 x 1,2 in)
