Re-envisioning the Alhambra

297 Pages·2011·55.74 MB·English

Re-envisioning the Alhambra:
Readings of architecture and ornament
from medieval to modern
Lara Eve Eggleton
Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of PhD
The University of Leeds
School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies
May 2011
The candidate confirms that the work submitted is her own and that appropriate credit
has been given where reference has been made to the work of others.
This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation
from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement.
For all my loved ones across the pond
Acknowledgements
My supervisors, Prof Catherine Karkov and Dr William Rea, have been consistently supportive
of the challenging scope of this project and its many divergent paths, while helping me to keep
two hands firmly on the wheel. Their different research backgrounds have made for some lively
and insightful joint supervisions and have provided me with a broad base of interdisciplinary
knowledge.IamgratefulforthegenerousfinancialsupportoftheUniversityofLeedsOverseas
Research Student Award Scheme, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of
Canada, and the Abbey-Santander Research Travel Fund. Visits to the Alhambra have been
greatly facilitated by Mariano Boza Puerta, while Mabel Garcia Casco and her family have giv-
en me a vibrant glimpse of life in Granada. My examiners, Prof D. Fairchild Ruggles and Dr
Eva Frojmovic, have assisted in refining and enriching the material found herein.
Sylvie Simonds has served as a brave comrade throughout my doctoral studies; her warm op-
timism and lively sense of humour have made the experience truly memorable. Thanks to Alex
Hannay, whose own daring journey through the histor(ies) of a monument has been an inspira-
tion for this thesis. I am grateful to Rebecca Wade for her on-hand, specialist knowledge of
Victorian Britain, and to my friends who have offered to read and discuss my work, not least of
allKateBradburyandAgnesWoolley.Inaddition,Iamfortunatetohaveaccesstoanumberof
bright and enquiring minds in Leeds, among them Layla Bloom, Zoë Howe, Dr Ruth Kitchen,
Matt John, Benjamin Hannavay-Cousen, Isabelle De le Court, Nichola Pemberton, Josie Flynn,
Rhiannon Silver, Zoë Sawyer, Karen Watson and Jon Wakeman.
Dr Ros Brown-Grant, gifted scholar and close friend, has been tremendously supportive of my
evolving work and has helped me to see the strength of my arguments. My mother, Darlene
Woodwood, who has always been fascinated by the imaginative re-tellings of history, revealed
to me early on the importance of perception in shaping our understandings of the past. Finally,
my deepest thanks goes to Dr Graham Creeth, who has been at my side with steady encourage-
ment and expertly cooked meals, and is perhaps best at making sense of complicated things.
Abstract
The Alhambra, a medieval Islamic palatine city located in Granada, Spain, is examined in this
thesis as the product of material transformations and changing visual perceptions over time. Se-
lected areas of the Nasrid palatial complex (1238-1492) are explored within the context of their
production, their later alterations under Christian rule, and in relation to the interpretations of
British travellers, historians, designers and enthusiasts throughout the long nineteenth century.
Through the formation of individual and collective identities, responses to cultural difference,
andanactiveengagementwiththepast,theAlhambragrewtobecomeacommemorativemonu-
ment of multiple and interrelated histories. In addressing the overlapping structural and
ornamental layers which make up its form, this study challenges the historiographic limitations
of categories such as 'medieval' and 'modern', as well as formal categories such as 'ornament'
and 'architecture', which render some art histories more visible than others. A series of case
studies examine the conditions that allowed for its reshaping, and the variety of ways its hybrid
spaces have been re-envisioned. Chapters one and two focus on the visual manifestations of
political agendas across both Muslim and Christian periods of rule, and challenge the applica-
tion of binary models of influence and conflict to the periods leading up to and following the
conquest of Granada in 1492. Subsequent chapters address nineteenth-century perspectives, re-
vealing the perceptual frameworks that informed different impressions of the monument for
popular and critical audiences. Descriptions and representations are discussed in accordance
with Romantic visualising tropes such as the Gothic and the Sublime, and the Alhambra is situ-
ated within debates over national identity and technological progress during the Great
Exhibitionsofthemid-century.TheAlhambraisthusunderstoodbothintermsofitscumulative
value, and its individual layers of meaning that belong to plural histories and trajectories of
influence.
A note on dates, language and terminology
Forreasonsofconsistencyacrossthebroadtemporalexpanseofthisstudyandinordertoavoid
the risk of inaccurate conversions, I have used Gregorian calendar dates throughout and have
notincludedMuslimcalendar(Hijri)equivalents.ArabicandSpanishtechnicaltermshavebeen
italicised (e.g. muqarnas, mocárabes), while the names of people and areas of the monument
have not, and I include English translations of the latter where possible. I have done my best to
usediacriticalmarksforArabictransliterations,withtheexceptionoftermsthatarerepeatedof-
ten, such as Nasrid (Na!rid).
In describing Muslim citizens of the medieval region of al-Andalus I have used 'Andalusi', and
thoseofthesameregionunderChristianrule(Andalucia),as'Andalusian'.'Granadans'hasbeen
used to describe the mixed population of Granada at points throughout both periods. For terms
given to one group of people or society by another, such as 'gitano' or 'Moor', I have left them
lowercaseorinsinglequotationsastheyrefertoageneralisedconstructratherthanaparticular
demographicorculture.However,IusetheuppercaseversionofMoriscoandMudéjarasthere
are no suitable alternatives for describing these transitional societies.
Table of Contents
List of Figures
Introduction
Material transitions: seeing pasts in the Alhambra 1
The Alhambra as 'monument' 9
Re-envisioning the past(s), or, making sense of the present 17
Materiality and meaning: tracking plural art histories 24
Re-envisioning 'Islamic Spain': to whom does the Alhambra belong? 29
Chapter 1
The production of ornament and the 'past-facing present' in Nasrid Granada 35
The palace of the Generalife and the doubling of panels 46
A tale of two sultans: Muhammad III and Ism"!#l I 50
The making of Nasrid ornament in the fourteenth century 55
The politics of form: reading ornament across layers 62
Nasrid ornament and the ‘past-facing present’ 69
Chapter 2
Imposing orders: conquest and coexistence in the columns of the Mexuar 73
'Living together' in Granada after 1492: influence or assimilation? 80
Heraldry for an absent king: the emperor's 'new mode' 90
Pillars of conquest: imperial symbolism in sixteenth-century Granada 100
Bearers of meaning: intersecting trajectories of the columnar tradition 107
Chapter 3
Framing the approach: visualising Granada through the picturesque gaze 118
Travel, knowledge, and vision: 'getting a feel' for the place 126
The picturesque tradition: a room with many views 132
'The approach': putting the Alhambra in place 138
Picturing Otherness: the problem of the Gothic ruin 143
Collapsing the view of Granada: the Alhambra and its histories 152
Chapter 4
Surface Deceits: Owen Jones and John Ruskin on the
principles of architectural ornament 158
Ruskin's 'truth to nature' and the abstraction of crystalline form 168
Translating surfaces: Jones' Alhambra Court and the principle of flatness 174
Propriety and Excess: 'false' architecture and superfluity of form 186
Concluding thoughts: surface values 193
Chapter 5
Gitanos in the Court of Lions: re-staging Andalusian identity
in the nineteenth-century photograph 197
The Court of Lions: setting the stage 208
The making of myth: gypsies, 'Moors', and the flamenco tradition 216
Collapsing space and time in the (ethnographic) photograph 225
Conclusion 233
Illustrations 240
Bibliography 277
List of Figures
Figure 1: Alhambra and Generalife site map (source: author after Bermúdez López, 2010).
Figure 2: Detail of main Nasrid complex (Comares and Lions palaces), and Generalife palace
(source: author after Ruggles, 2000).
Figure 3: Patterned surfaces in the north-west corner of the Hall of the Ambassadors, Comares
Palace (source: author).
Figure 4: Julio López Hernández, The Washington Irving Monument, 2009 (source: author).
Figure 5: Fragments of panels in the Generalife mirador (source: author).
Figure 6: Plan of the Court of the Acequía or Main Canal, Generalife (source: Ruggles, 2000).
Figure 7: Court of the Canal looking north-west, Generalife (source: author).
Figure 8: View of the main Nasrid palaces from the Generalife Palace mirador (source: author).
Figure 9: Nasrid dynasty genealogical chart (source: Fernández-Puertas, 1997).
Figure 10: Detail of panel dating to the reign of Muhammad III, Generalife (source: author).
Figure 11: Detail of panel dating to the reign of Ism"!#l I, Generalife (source: author).
Figure 12: Detail of motif attributed to the reign of Muhammad III, Generalife (source: author).
Figure 13: Examples of plain ataurique (source: Fernández-Puertas, 1997).
Figure 14: Floor plan of the Mexuar Hall and connecting spaces (source: Bermúdez López,
2010).
Figure 15: Contemporary view of the Mexuar (source: author).
Figure 16: Early twentieth-century view of the Mexuar (source: Archives of the Alhambra and
Generalife).
Figure 17: Tiled mural dating from the reign of Charles V, Mexuar (source: author).
Figure 18: Nasrid capital, Mexuar (source: author).
Figure 19: Nasrid shield lazo tile, Mexuar (source: author).
Figure 20: Plus Ultra lazo tile, Mexuar (source: author).
Figure 21: Habsburg double-headed eagle lazo tile, Mexuar (source: author).
Figure 22: South portada, Palace of Charles V (source: Bermúdez López, 2010).
Figure 23: West portada, Palace of Charles V (source: Bermúdez López, 2010).
Figure 24: Illustrations of Nasrid capital and Composite capital (sources: Fernández-Puertas,
1997; Robert Chitham and Calder Loth, 1995).
Figure 25: Umayyad Capital from Córdoba (source: Jerrilynn D. Dodds, 1992)
Figure 26: Taifa period column capital (source: Jerrilynn D. Dodds, 1992).
Figure 27: Detail of decorative inner border of Plus Ultra mural, Mexuar (source: author).
Figure 28: Kufic script, Hall of Ambassadors (source: author).
Figure 29: Habsburg coat of arms above fireplace, royal residence (source: Bermúdez López,
2010).
Figure 30: Panoramic view of the Alhambra from the Albaicín (source: Bermúdez López,
2010).
Figure 31: Topographic illustration of the Alhambra compound (source: Grabar, 1992).
Figure 32: Plan of Nasrid Granada (source: author after Grabar, 1992)
Figure 33: View of the Alhambra from the south-west (source: Bermúdez López, 2010).
Figure 34: Map of Spain (source: author after Ruggles, 2000).
Figure 35: Jean-Léon Gérôme, The Snake Charmer, c.1870 (source: www.bridgemaneduca-
tion.com).
Figure 36: John Constable, Hadleigh Castle, 1829 (source: www.bridgemaneducation.com).
Figure 37: Thomas Gainsborough, Wooded Landscape with a Cottage, Sheep and a Reclining
Shepherd, c.1748-1750 (source: www.bridgemaneducation.com).
Figure 38: David Roberts, The Tower of the Comares, c.1835 (source: Howarth, 2007).
Figure 39: James Cavanah Murphy, 'A perspective view of the court and fountain of lions'
(source: Murphy, 1815).
Figure 40: John Ruskin, 'Ornaments from Rouen, St. Lô, and Venice' (source: Ruskin, 1849).
Figure 41: Philip Henry Delamotte, entrance to the Alhambra Court, 1855 (source: Victoria &
Albert Museum).
Figure 42: Philip Henry Delamotte, exterior of the Alhambra Court, 1855 (source: Victoria &
Albert Museum).
Figure 43: Owen Jones and Jules Goury, 'Comares Palace !amm"m, N-S Section', Plans, Elev-
ations, Sections, and Details of the Alhambra, 1836-1845 (source: Fernández-Puertas, 1997).
Figure 44: Owen Jones and Jules Goury, 'Details of woodwork from various rooms in the Al-
hambra' (source: Victoria & Albert Museum).
Figure 45: Owen Jones, 'Greek no. 4', original drawing for The Grammar of Ornament, 1856
(source: Victoria & Albert Museum).
Figure 46: Owen Jones, 'Moresque Ornament No. 3', The Grammar of Ornament (source: Jones,
1856).
Figure 47: John Ruskin, 'Greek Spiral of the Sea' (source: Ruskin, 1851).
Figure 48: John Ruskin, 'Abstract Lines' (source: Ruskin, 1851).
Figure 49: Owen Jones, 'Plan of the Court of the Lions (Casa Real) and Plan of the Court of the
Lions (Alhambra Court)' (source: Jones, 1854).
Figure 50: Owen Jones, 'Section of Court of Lions (Casa Real) and Section of Court of Lions
(Alhambra Court)' (source: Jones, 1854).
Figure 51: Plan of the Lion Court following the addition of the palace of Charles V (source:
Ruggles, 2000).
Figure 52: Charles Clifford, 'Patio de los Leones', Photographic Souvenir, 1862 (source: Javier
Piñar, 2003).
Figure 53: G. DeBeucorps, Oriental pavilion during restoration works, c.1858 (source: Javier
Piñar, 2003).
Figure 54: Owen Jones, 'The Qalahurra Nueva of Y$suf I', Plans, Elevations, Sections, and De-
tails of the Alhambra, 1836-1845 (source: Fernández-Puertas, 1997).
Figure 55: J. Laurent, detail of the decorative tile skirting board in the Coat of Arms Hall,
c.1870 (source: Javier Piñar, 2003).
Figure 56: Wallpaper with naturalistic floral stripe framed by rococo pilaster motifs, France,
c.1850-1860 (source: Victoria & Albert Museum).
Figure 57: Wallpaper illustrating the Crystal Palace, c.1853-1855 (source: Victoria & Albert
Museum).
Figure 58: William Morris 'Acanthus' wallpaper, print from woodblocks (source: Victoria &
Albert Museum).
Figure 59: William Morris, 'Borage ceiling paper' (source: Victoria & Albert Museum).
Figure 60: Entrance facade of the Mexuar (source: author).
Figure 61 : Section of ornament, eastern wall of the Hall of Ambassadors, Comares Palace
(source: author).
Figure 62: Section of ornament, north-east corner of the Hall of Ambassadors, Comares Palace
(source: author).
Figure 63: Owen Jones, 'Moresque No. 2' (source: Jones, 1856).
Figure 64: Muqarnas spandrel in the entrance to the Hall of Ambassadors, Comares Palace
(source: author).
Figure 65: John Ruskin, 'Capital from the Lower Arcade of the Doge's Palace, Venice' (source:
Ruskin, 1849).
Figure 66: M. Digby Wyatt, Illustration of the Alhambra Court from Views of the Crystal
Palace and Park, Sydenham, 1854 (source: Carol Hrvol Flores, 2006).
Figure 67. Owen Jones and Jules Goury, drawings of mocárabes (details), and section of the
ceiling of the Hall of Two Sisters), Plans, Elevations, Sections, and Details of the Alhambra,
1836-1845 (source: Grabar, 1992).
Figure 68: Charles Clifford, 'Jitanos Bailando' ('Gypsies Dancing'), Photographic Souvenir,
1862 (source: Javier Piñar, 2003).
Figure 69: Charles Clifford, 'Jitanas Cantando' ('Gypsy Women Singing'), Photographic
Souvenir, 1862 (source: Javier Piñar, 2003).
Figure 70: Charles Clifford, 'Tipos Locales [Local Types]' (Oropesa), 1858 (source: Fontanella,
1999).
Figure 71: Charles Clifford, Panoramic view of the Alhambra from the Albaicín, Photographic