Sculpted Muqarnas: The Five Capitals in the Alhambra as a Case Study for the Proportions of Western Profiles

Abstract

In the Alhambra of the Nasrid era (1230–1492), a transformed type of capital emerged that incorporated muqarnas to materialize the transition from the column to the abacus. Although the Alhambra contains the most muqarnas compositions from the Occident (Iberian Peninsula), the present understanding of “Western” muqarnas is based upon two carpentry manuscripts from the 1630s, from different authors on each side of the Atlantic (López de Arenas and Fray Andrés de San Miguel). In this research, the proportions of the muqarnas profiles from each manuscript are studied and compared to each other to articulate the formal consequences of their differences. By sculpting four examples of muqarnas capitals in the Alhambra, this study assesses whether the results correspond to the information provided in the manuscripts. The particularities that arise from these simple muqarnas capitals shed light on the proportions of the Alhambra muqarnas, generate new profiles that are distinct from those of the manuscripts, and establish geometrical relationships that have hitherto been unclear. These observations offer a basis for future tests on other muqarnas compositions in Nasrid palaces, therefore advancing the definition of the formal language of the Alhambra muqarnas.

A Deformed Muqarnas Dome at the Sala de los Reyes in the Alhambra: Graphic Analysis of Architectural Heritage

“…In the Alhambra, plaster muqarnas predominate, although there are others made of wood or stone. A recent article by Ignacio Ferrer deals with muqarnas capitals that were not built by grouping small pieces but sculpted from single stone blocks [62]. Although the three flat figures proposed by Jones and Goury are interesting as a theoretical principle, they are insufficient to produce the great diversity of muqarnas groupings that exist in the Alhambra.…”

“…In the Alhambra, plaster muqarnas predominate, although there are others made of wood or stone. A recent article by Ignacio Ferrer deals with muqarnas capitals that were not built by grouping small pieces but sculpted from single stone blocks [62].…”

“…In this way, based on the as-built reality and the previous experience of the current research authors [40,62,64,65], the southern dome plan of the Sala de los Reyes has been drawn. Every individual muqarnas has been identified to understand its complex three-dimensional geometric grouping.…”