Islamic art and Islamic art in Al-Andalus

139
Mª Victoria Landa ISLAMIC ART AL-ANDALUS

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ISLAMIC ARTAL-ANDALUS

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• In the Islamic Art, ARCHITECTURE and DECORATION will be very important. • PAINTING and SCULPTURE will be less developed, because it is forbidden to show people (above all, Muhammad) in painting or sculpture.

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ARCHITECTURE: FEATURES

• CHEAP MATERIALS (bricks, wood, adobe -or sun-dried bricks-, stones).• BUILDINGS ARE NOT VERY HIGH.• VERY ABUNDANT AND COMPLETE DECORATION (HORROR VACUI).

Mosquée de Bib al-Mardum o Cristo de la Luz Toledo. Le Califat de Cordoue.

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THE ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS• Different types of arcs, above all, the horseshoe arch. • Use of domes. • Two types of supports: pillars and columns. • Mocárabes, tipos de bovedillas unidas de piedra o madera, que aparecen en arcos, dinteles, bóvedas, cúpulas.

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Types of arcs

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BUILDINGS•CIVIL ARCHITECTURE:

• PALACES• LA CASBAH (ALCAZABA OU FORTRESS).• CARAVANSARES• PUBLIC BATHS («HAMMAN»).• MARKETS («ZOUK OU BAZAR»).

•RELIGIOUS ARCHITECTURE:– LA MOSQUÉE.– LA MADRASA.

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PALACES

Mexuar: rooms used for public administration and justice.

Diwan: it is a room for audiences, where the throne is placed.

The Harem: reserved place for women

In a palace, we will be able to distinguish, at least, these parts:

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THE MOSQUEA mosque is the place where muslims pray.

Rectangular plant

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THE MOSQUEELEMENTS IN A MOSQUE:

• PRAYER ROOM: where Muslims pray ou Haram 

• ABLUTION FOUNTAIN: for washing and purification before praying

• MINARET : tower used for the call to prayer, the muezzin or “almuédano”

will call to prayer.

• QIBLA a wall facing MECCA.

• MINBAR: the pulpit where the imam delivers sermons.

• MIHRAB: niche in the qibla wall to show the direction of Mecca.

• MAQSURA : place, close to mihrab, where the caliph prays. There is not a

maqsura in every mosque.

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DECORATION

•Vegetal decoration

Calligraphy

Ataurique

Geometric

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DECORATION ELEMENTS

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Ataurique

Moucharabiehs ou Mouqarnas

Calligraphie

Ataurique

DECORATION

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ISLAMIC ART EXAMPLES

•Art during the Abbasidde period (s. VIII)

–Samarra, Iraq.–Mosque de Ibn Tulun, Caire. (s. IX)

•Art during the Umayyad period– Dome de “la Roca”, in Jerusalem, 691– Grand Mosque de Damascus 707

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THE ISLAMIC ART IN AL-ANDALUS

• Use of poor elements (plaster, cast, bricks) covered with stucco, mocárabes or tiles (azulejos).• Reach its peaks during the Emirat and Caliphate of Córdoba. • Córdoba, the court and administration centre, had a big mosque, a casbah (alcazaba) and the palace and residence of Medina Al-Azhara (936), Abd al-Rahman III. • From XIIIth century, the artistic centre will be the Kingdom of Granada, with La Alhambra as its more important group of buildings.

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FEATURES• Mixtures of other artistic style elements.

•Bâtiments de bas hauteur.

• Horseshoe arch (arco de herradura)

• Poor materials.

• Polychromy.

• Plenty of decoration: atauriques, caligraphy and geometric.

• Irregular plans.

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ISLAMIC ART IN AL-ANDALOUS

EVOLUTION

•1st.- CALIFALE PERIOD : from 756 to Xth century.

•4th.- THE KINGDOM NASSERID OF GRANADA. XIVth-XVth century.

•3rd.- AFRICAN DINASTIES:– Almoravides. XIst et XIInd centuries.–Almohades XIInd et XIIIrd centuries.

•2nd.-KINGDOMS OF TAIFAS: XIth century.

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LA PÉRIODE CALIFALE (aussi les émirats). SIÈCLE VIIIe - Xe (786-987)

• Pendant le gouvernement de Abderrahman I, il y a un manque d'intérêt pour l'art islamique depuis la plus grande préoccupation était la consolidation des terres conquises.•Des l’émirat independent commence une période d’esplendeur de l’art, qui a son origin à Cordoue.

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• ARCS

– Horseshoe arch: framed by an “alfiz” , and with

keystones (dovelas) in

different colours.

– Lobed arch (arco lobulado).

– Crossed and superimposed archs (arcos entrecruzados y superpuestos)

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•COVER (cubierta)

– Coffered ceiling (artesonado).

– Caliphale dome (with crossed arch ribs - nervios entrecruzados- and leaving a central polygon)

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DECORATION

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MAIN MONUMENTS

Big Mosque of Córdoba

•Palace of Medina-Al-Zahara (936)

Mosque of Bib al-Mardum (Cristo de la Luz) Toledo

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MEZQUITA DE CÓRDOBA

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MOSQUE OF CÓRDOBA

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MOSQUE OF CÓRDOBA• Started in 785 (the year 168 from la Hégira).• Build by Abd al-Rahman I.

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STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS

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SUPPORT ELEMENTS: COLUMNS AND ARCSCOLUMNS

PILLARS

MÉNSULAS O MODILLONES

HORSESHOE ARCH

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DECORATIVE ELEMENTS

• Vegetal, geometric and

calligraphy decorative elements.

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HARAM •La salle à prière.

•L’element fondamental

sera la colonne. Il y a

plus de 850 colonnes

en la Mosquée de

Cordoue.

•La superposition des

arcs donnera une plus

grande hauteur.

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ABD al-RAHMAN IThe superimposed archs give luminosity and brightness.

Columns have similar materials: marble or granite.

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AL-HAKAM II

– Twelve sections are added to the eleven naves of Abd-al-Rahman I. – Columns have no base (basa)..– Three domes are built in front of mihrab.

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HARAM or PRAYER ROOM

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MAQSURA

•Arcos lobulados entrecruzados

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Maqsura in the Mosque of Córdoba.

Vegetal decoration with stucco

Columns

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Caliphaledome

Trompas Capilla de Villaviciosa o del Lucernario (962-965).

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CALIPHALE DOME

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CALIPHALEDOMES

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MIHRAB FAÇADE

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MIHRAB MIHRAB

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EVOLUTION: ABD AL-RAHMAN I

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FIRST ENLARGEMENTABD AL-RAHMAN II

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SECOND ENLARGEMENT ABD al-RAHMAN III ET AL-HAKAM II

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THIRD ENLARGEMENT HIXEM II (AL-MANSUR)

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FOURTH ENLARGEMENT

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Mosque enlargement

1) Abd-al-Rahman I (785)

2) Abd-al-Rahman II (833)

3) Abd-al-Rahman III (950)

4) Al-Hakam II (961)

5)Almanzor (987)

6) Cour des Orangers

7) Minaret.

Siècle XVI. Carlos I (Carlos V)- Maître-autel de la cathédrale.

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EXTERIOR

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EXTERIOR DOORS

Battlement (almenas)

Blind arcs gallery

Example of lateral door.

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San Esteban door. One of the original doors Muhammad II (855).

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Built byAbd al-Rahman III,

it was for his “favourite”, with rich materials and

exuberant decoration:

ataurique. More than a palace, it is a

fortified town.

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MEDINA al-ZAHARA PALACE (palace-city s. X)

•912-961 Abd al-Rahman III •961-976 Al-Hakam II

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MEDINA al-ZAHARA PALACE

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Mª Victoria LandaMEDINA al-ZAHARA PALACE (palais-ville de la fleur, s. X)

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2nd.-TAIFAS XIth CENTURY PALAIS DE LA ALJAFERIA

(SARAGOSSE)

ALCASSABES DE MÀLAGA, ALMERIA et GRANADA

Materials are poorer and lighter.

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ALJAFERIA o “ALFARERÍA” PALACE (SARAGOSSE)

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ALJAFERIA o “ALFARERÍA” PALACE (ZARAGOZA)

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PALAIS DE LA ALJAFERIA o “ALFARERÍA” (SARAGOSSE)

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CASBAH ALMERIA (ALCAZABA DE ALMERÍA)

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ALCAZABA DE MÀLAGA Y GRANADA

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Jardins de Can Fontirroig, carrer Can Serra, 7. C’est un des peu restes d’architecture musulmane dans l’isle de Mallorca. Une salle carrée avec 12 colonnes, qui supportent une coupole.

BAINS ARABES DE PALMA

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3rd.-AFRICAN DINASTIES

ALMOHADES, XIIIth century.

-Mirhab de la mezquita de Almería.-Muralla de Sevilla

ALMORAVIDES, XIst et XIInd centuries.

- Giralda de Sevilla, antiguo minarete de la Mezquita de Sevilla- “Torre del Oro”, Sevilla

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GIRALDA DE SEVILLA (s. XII)

Squared plant with access to the superior plants with ramps. Exterior decoration in three vertical parts, the celtral one with windows and the laterals

with “paños de Sebka”, a type of romboidal decoration (nidos de

abejas). Blind arcs.

Fondations de pièrreCimientos de piedra.

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Geometric decoration (rombes): “draps de sebka”.

Simetric axis

Loggia de arcos ciegos entrecruzados.

Polylobed arch

Twin windows, horseshoe archs.

Original tower

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Arcos entrecruzadosRenaissance

Finish

Bronze, “Giraldillo”

Attached

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Towns had a double wall, with towers in the exterior part. La Torre del Oro ha a polygonal plant.

TORRE DEL OROSevilla

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4th.-REINO NAZARÍ DE GRANADA•XIVth ET XVth century

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FEATURES• Poor materials.•Polycromy.•Horseshoe arch, •Lots of mocárabes in domes, capitels...

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• Columns have a cilindric shaft (fuste).

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• Examples of covers

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DECORATION•Walls are covered with tiles (in almost all the rooms). • Inscriptions frame the rooms.

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Arc peraltaté

Celosías geométricas (lattice)

Marble columns

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Decoration travaillé en stuc. Policromie, ataurique, mocárabe et calligraphie cúfique.

Sebka calada

Arcs democárabe

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CalligraphieCalligraphie

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LA ALHAMBRA: the red(1238-1492)

•PARTE PÚBLICA:•Funciones militares: ALCAZABA•Funciones administrativas y burocraticas, además de , administración de justicia: MEXUAR.•Funtiones oficiales: la sala del trono IWÁN para la diplomacia

•PARTE PRIVADA•Salas para la vida privada del rey: HAREM

•JARDINES

• Palacio fortificado construido en piedra roja, en Granada. Es una palacio con estancias administrativas, militares…

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LA ALHAMBRA: the red(1238-1492)

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MATERIALS•Generally low quality materials

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JUSTICE DOOR

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• It is a set of independent rooms, around different courts.

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SUPPORTS

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COVERS

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DECORATIVE ELEMENTS

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COFFERED CEILING

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MOTIVOS GEOMÉTRICOS (ALICATADOS)

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MARBLE

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WATER• It’s very important in La Alhambra

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VEGETATION

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INSCRIPTIONS

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EVOLUTION

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XIIIth CENTURY It’s the beginning of the construction , with IBN AL-HAMAR

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SALA o “CUARTO”DE ORO

(MEXUAR)

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SALA O “CUARTO” DE ORO (MEXUAR)

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XIVth 1334-1354: YUSUF I “TORRE DE COMARES” Palace de Comores.

•Court – “PATIO DE LOS ARRAYANES O DE L’ALBERCA (estanque)”

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PALACE DE COMARES (DIWAN)

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PÓRTICOS

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TORRE DE COMARES

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SALA DEL TRONO

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Torre de Comares (interior)

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Sala de los Embajadores

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PÓRTICO SUR

•En esta zona habitaba el ´príncipe heredero

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LOS BAÑOS REALES

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•Casa de las cuatro esposas legítimas del rey.

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1354-1391. MOHAMED V. PALACIO O PATIO DE LOS

LEONES

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PATIO DE LOS LEONES (HAREM)

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PATIO DES LIONS •La FUENTE DE LOS LEONES (doce leones en círculo) . Siglo XI.

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Mª Victoria LandaPATIO DE LOS LEONES (HAREM)

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SALA DE LAS DOS HERMANAS (NORTE)

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CÚPULA DE LAS DOS HERMANAS

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MIRADOR DE DARAXA

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MIRADOR DE DARAXA

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SALA DE LOS MOCÁRABES (OESTE)

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LA ALHAMBRA (1238-1492)

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SALA DE “LOS

ABENCERRAJES” (SUR)

•Para los banquetes en invierno.

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Cúpula de la Sala de los

“Abencerrajes”

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SALA DE LOS

REYES• Para las fiestas en verano.

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SALA DE LOS REYES

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10 SULTANES DE LA DINASTÍA

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EL PARTAL

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COUR del Partal C’est le palais le plus antique, avec une tour annexé (la Tour des Dames)

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1319 MOHAMED II E ISMAEL I

•EL GENERALIFE

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EL GENERALIFE •Residencia de verano

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PATIO DE LA ACEQUIA

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GENERALIFE

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•LE COUR DE LA SULTANA

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LA ALHAMBRA: the red (1238-1492)