POLY-LOBED ALMOHAD ARCH
Islamic Period
POLY-LOBED ALMOHAD ARCH
Carved and painted plaster.
Height conserved: 162 cm. Width 228 cm. Span: 190 cm.
Hispano-Muslim. 12th – 13th century.
Origin
Alcázar, Pabellón Real (Royal Pavilion). Jerez de la Frontera. Cádiz.
Description
Poly-lobed plaster arch, slightly pointed, decorated with so-called "Almohad leaves". The keystone is decorated with a small incised lobe in the shape of a pine cone. A garland of leaves and stylised carving runs horizontally from the arch spandrels. The larger lobes are simple and formed by arches measuring 5 cm in radius. These contain smaller lobes decorated with a leaf finished with two small lobes. The arch is framed by an alfiz simply decorated with incised lines. All the plaster carving is coloured red and black alternately. This arch was part of the decorative scheme in the recreation pavilion or “Royal Pavilion” of the Alcázar. By its dimensions, it appears to have covered the entrance to the buildings. These plaster fragments were discovered as part of a partition wall built centuries later in the same pavilion.
Bibliography
- Unknown
