By the aid of these the artists could work with celerity
and certainty, and from the mere intersection of the plain and
curved lines arose the interminable variety of patterns and the
general uniformity of their character.
Much gilding was used in the stucco-work, especially of the cupolas:
and the interstices were delicately pencilled with brilliant colors,
such as vermilion and lapis lazuli, laid on with the whites of eggs.
The primitive colors alone were used, says Ford, by the Egyptians,
Greeks, and Arabs, in the early period of art; and they prevail in the
Alhambra whenever the artist has been Arabic or Moorish. It is
remarkable how much of their original brilliancy remains after the
lapse of several centuries.
The lower part of the walls in the saloons, to the height of several
feet, is incrusted with glazed tiles, joined like the plates of
stucco-work, so as to form various patterns. On some of them are
emblazoned the escutcheons of the Moslem kings, traversed with a
band and motto. These glazed tiles (azulejos in Spanish, az-zulaj in
Arabic) are of Oriental origin; their coolness, cleanliness, and
freedom from vermin, render them admirably fitted in sultry climates
for paving halls and fountains, incrusting bathing rooms, and lining
the walls of chambers. Ford is inclined to give them great
antiquity. From their prevailing colors, sapphire and blue, he deduces
that they may have formed the kind of pavements alluded to in the
sacred Scriptures- "There was under his feet as it were a paved work
of a sapphire stone" (Exod.
Pages:
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71