Columns of the Court of the Lions

by Weston Westmoreland

Title

Columns of the Court of the Lions

Artist

Weston Westmoreland

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

Columns of the Court of the Lions in the Alhambra of Granada.

Detail of the arched colonnade around one of the side fountains in the Court of the Lions (Patio de los Leones), at the palace and fortress complex of the Alhambra of Granada. Its current name is due to the myrtle bushes that surround the central pond and the bright green color of which contrasts with the white marble of the patio. The central pond is 100 feet long and 21 feet wide. The patio is divided in two sides by the pond, which receives its water from two fountains. The Court has chambers and porticoes around it. These porticoes rest on columns with cubic capitals, joined by seven semicircular arches decorated with fretwork rhombuses and inscriptions praising God.

Built around 1350 AD, the Palace of the Lions in the Alhambra is the apex of Nasrid architecture. In this palace Nasrid art achieved its greatest degree of magnificence, sensitivity and harmony. Light, water, color and exquisite decoration turn this palace into a pleasure for the senses. The abstract and geometric decoration steps back in this palace for a more naturalistic style, a result of Christian influence.

A place of breathtaking beauty, preserved by the wisdom of a Sultan who was later labelled a coward for surrendering the fortress before it was utterly destroyed in a fight he could not possibly win. I for one am grateful.

Other versions of this image and other more Alhambra and Al-Andalusian images one copy-paste away in my Gallery at http://westonwestmoreland.com/collections/alhambra+and+alandalus

Weston Westmoreland.

Uploaded

February 6th, 2014

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