The Royal Alcazar of Seville is a vast collection of palaces, halls, gardens and more that has been the center of the city for over a thousand years, first under Moorish rule and then under Catholic monarchs, who seized the city in 1248.
Tile is everywhere in the Alcazar…
Appearances to the contrary, though, the Alcazar as we see it today has almost nothing remaining from the original Moorish period; almost as soon as they moved in, the new rulers began tearing buildings down and replacing them with their own.
The ‘appearances to the contrary’ are the result of the new rulers’ taste in art and architecture; most of what they built there in the first centuries of their rule reflects the so-called ‘mudejar’ style, incorporating many elements of Moorish style—including vast amounts of tile, on floors, walls, ceilings and in the gardens.
Palace of Pedro I, with an over-the-centuries mixture of styles, was originally on one floor. The second floor is still an official residence of the current King.
In fact, one of the main buildings we see today, the Palace of Pedro I, was built for him by an architect hired from the Moorish city of Granada; it even has Arabic inscriptions within the walls, proclaiming Pedro the ‘Sultan’ of Seville.
A number of rooms have beautiful and elaborate tiled ceilings
Decorated tiles, with images from nature and geometry played an important role in Moorish architecture because the Islamic orthodoxy of the period was generally opposed to depicting humans in art. Geometrically-patterned carving and calligraphy were also common.
Archways get elaborate treatments
This isn’t the place for me to lead a guided tour; touring the Alcazar is an endless chain of experiences as you move through the different great and small rooms and try to remember which is older than the other, which king added gothic touches, who went for baroque. This is just for the tile, in all its color and intricacy.
The tiles themselves are mainly of three distinct types. The largest number are arista tiles, made by pressing clay into a mold that creates different sections to be glazed in different colors.
Majolica tiles have a tin-based underglaze that leaves a whitish surface that can be painted on in a variety of colors and styles. The sample above is in the hall of Charles V, but the style is also found in other parts of the Alcazar.
A third use of tile shows up in a number of places, using small pieces of colored tile inserted in sculpted masonry.
As you’ve probably noticed, the Alcazar has a lot of tilework in its outdoor spaces, including in the gardens.
And here are another pair of spectacular interiors. The small balcony in the upper picture allowed the king to observe meetings and events in the room without entering.
