Stucco decoration in Islamic architecture information
Decorative technique
Stucco in the Court of the Lions of the Alhambra (14th century), in Granada, Spain. Arabesques are mixed here with calligraphic motifs and muqarnas sculpting.
Stucco decoration in Islamic architecture refers to carved or molded stucco and plaster. The terms "stucco" and "plaster" are used almost interchangeably in this context to denote most types of stucco or plaster decoration with slightly varying compositions.[1] This decoration was mainly used to cover walls and surfaces and the main motifs were those predominant in Islamic art: geometric, arabesque (or vegetal), and calligraphic, as well as three-dimensional muqarnas.[2][3][4] Plaster of gypsum composition was extremely important in Islamic architectural decoration as the relatively dry climate throughout much of the Islamic world made it easy to use this cheap and versatile material in a variety of spaces.[4]
Stucco decoration was already used in ancient times in the region of Iran and the Greco-Roman Mediterranean.[5] In Islamic architecture, stucco decoration appeared during the Umayyad period (late 7th–8th centuries) and underwent further innovations and generalization during the 9th century under the Abbasids in Iraq, at which point it spread further across the Islamic world and was incorporated into regional architectural styles.[2][6] Examples of historic carved stucco decoration are found in Egypt, Iran, Afghanistan, and India, among other areas.[7][4] It was commonly used in "Moorish" or western Islamic architecture in the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) and parts of North Africa (the Maghreb), since at least the Taifa and Almoravid periods (11th–12th centuries).[2] In the Iberian Peninsula it reached a creative pinnacle in Moorish architecture during the Nasrid dynasty (1238–1492), who built the Alhambra.[8] Mudejar architecture also made broad use of such decoration.[9][10] The Spanish term yesería is sometimes used in the context of Islamic and Mudéjar architecture in Spain.[9][11]
^M. Bloom, Jonathan; S. Blair, Sheila, eds. (2009). "Stucco and plasterwork". The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture. Oxford University Press. p. 235. ISBN 9780195309911. General terms for a decorative art that, at its simplest, is a render of mortar designed to decorate a smooth wall or ceiling and, in its more sophisticated form, is a combination of high-relief, sculptural and surface decoration. The words stucco and plaster are used virtually interchangeably and, most flexibly, can be applied to mixtures of mud or clay; more precisely, however, stucco usually means a hard, slow-setting substance based on lime as opposed to quick-setting plaster based on gypsum.
^ abcCite error: The named reference :24 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^M. Bloom, Jonathan; S. Blair, Sheila, eds. (2009). "Ornament and pattern". The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture. Vol. 3. Oxford University Press. pp. 71–78. ISBN 9780195309911.
^ abcCite error: The named reference :245 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Petersen, Andrew (1996). "stucco". Dictionary of Islamic architecture. Routledge. pp. 267–268. ISBN 9781134613663.
^Petersen, Andrew (1996). Dictionary of Islamic architecture. Routledge. ISBN 9781134613663.
^Victoria and Albert Museum, Online Museum (2012-02-02). "Nasrid Plasterwork: Symbolism, Materials & Techniques". www.vam.ac.uk. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
^ abNickson, Tom (2009). "The Locked-Up Garden: The Nature of Medieval Castile". In Cleaver, Laura; Gerry, Kathryn B.; Harris, Jim (eds.). Art & Nature: Studies in Medieval Art and Architecture. Courtauld Institute of Art. pp. 44–51. ISBN 978-1-907485-00-8.
^Borrás Gualís, Gonzalo M.; Lavado Paradinas, Pedro; Pleguezuelo Hernández, Alfonso; Pérez Higuera, María Teresa; Mogollón Cano-Cortés, María Pilar; Morales, Alfredo J.; López Guzman, Rafael; Sorroche Cuerva, Miguel Ángel; Stuyck Fernández Arche, Sandra (2018). Mudéjar Art. Islamic Aesthetics in Christian Art. Museum With No Frontiers, MWNF (Museum Ohne Grenzen). ISBN 978-3-902782-15-1.
^Boloix-Gallardo, Bárbara, ed. (2021). A Companion to Islamic Granada. Brill. p. 458. ISBN 978-90-04-42581-1.
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