Piece of march. The Nasrid capital

This month’s museum piece is the Nasrid capital. Every Saturday from noon onwards, the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife (PAG) offers this free activity, led by Javier Moya, Doctor in History of Art, in Room VI, with a presentation which aims to reveal the peculiarities of this Nasrid constructive and decorative element.

Within the context of Islamic art, it was during the Nasrid period when the capital first became totally integrated into its architectural context. Although initially standardised in its cubic form, the Nasrid capital developed in response to a series of procedures which allowed it to evolve in order to adapt to certain architectural requirements. One of these procedures was breaking with the square section of the abacus (in reality the whole upper block of the capital), making it polygonal, thus multiplying the facets of the capital and allowing it to be inserted into central-plan constructions.

This is the case of the plaster corner capital on display at the Museum of the Alhambra, which, like those conserved in situ in the Granadian Madrasa and in the Hall of the Two Sisters in the Alhambra, adapts its shape to the corners of the octagonal rooms.

Although there are no buildings remaining in which this type of capital is still used its existence has been confirmed by the examples preserved to date, many of them previously unknown.

Opening hours: Saturdays (March), 12.00

Location: Room VI, Museum of the Alhambra, Palace of Carlos V

Source: Patronato de la Alhambra