Plasterwork panel from the Bahw de la Dar Al-Manlaka Al-Sa ´Ida (Generalife)

D. Juana Biedma Molina
 
 
 
This panel is very special in that the original polychrome is practically intact. This is because another panel was placed on top of it in later building work during the Nasrid era, leaving it hidden and protected. This suggests that the piece dates from the time of Muhammad II, while the other panel was placed on top of it during the reign of Ismael I. 
This panel has an assortment of decorative plant, geometric and epigraphic motifs. The richly coloured carved plasterwork decoration is one of the most significant features of architectural decoration in the Alhambra, applied here in masterly fashion. This piece offers us an insight into the different techniques used in Nasrid plasterwork, the materials, the carving of the decorative motifs and the pigments used by the craftsmen.   
We will also be analysing the original site of the panel, in the bahw (niche) in the  Generalife Palace and the function and meaning of this space in the palace.  
 
 
Time: Saturdays at 12 o’clock
Place: Room VII, Museum of the Alhambra, Palace Charles V.