THE PAINTED GARDEN: THE PAINTINGS IN THE SALA DE LOS REYES OF THE PATIO DE LOS LEONES
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THE PAINTED GARDEN: THE PAINTINGS
IN THE SALA DE LOS REYES OF THE
PATIO DE LOS LEONES
EL JARDÍN PINTADO: LAS PINTURAS DE LA SALA DE
LOS REYES DEL CUARTO DE LOS LEONES
CARMEN RALLO GRUSS
DEGREE IN GEOGRAPHY–HISTORY PHD IN MEDIEVAL ART
mcrallo48@gmail.com
A bstract : the Palace of the Lions, built and decorated all at the same time, was the work of the will of
Sultan Muhammad V, with a thoughtful and intentionally propagandistic structure; Its elements are linked
to each other, forming a homogeneous set from an ideological point of view and communication of a mes-
sage: the exaltation of their lineage and the reflection on their destiny. Presiding over this Palace is the Hall
of the Kings, whose reading, in a globalized sense, has not been formulated to date. The disconnected in-
terpretation of its plastic scenes, mere illustrated anecdotes, is not enough; we must delve into the possible
relationship between the image of the three vaults and with the general context of the Palace of the Lions.
In this sense, this text develops a proposal for debate.
K eywords : mural painting, garden, paradise, fauna and flora, Palace of the Lions, Hall of the Kings, Koran
R esumen : el Palacio de los Leones, construido y decorado todo en un mismo momento, fue obra de la
voluntad del sultán Muhammad V, con una estructuración meditada e intencionalmente propagandística;
sus elementos de hallan relacionados entre sí formando un conjunto homogéneo desde un punto de vista
ideológico y de comunicación de un mensaje: la exaltación de su estirpe y la reflexión acerca de su destino.
Presidiendo este Palacio se encuentra el Cuarto de los Reyes, cuya lectura, en un sentido globalizado, no se
ha formulado hasta la fecha. No basta la interpretación desconexa de sus escenas plásticas, meras anécdo-
tas ilustradas, hay que profundizar en la posible relación entre la imagen de las tres bóvedas entre sí y con
el contexto general del Palacio de los Leones. En ese sentido, este texto desarrolla una propuesta a debate.
P alabras claves : pintura mural, jardín, paraíso, fauna y flora, Palacio de los Leones, Cuarto de los Reyes,
Corán
Cómo citar / how to cite: RALLO GRUSS, C. El jardín pintado: las pinturas de la sala de los reyes del cuarto
de los leones. Cuaderno de la Alhambra. 2020, 49, págs. 307-322. ISN 0590-1987
CUADERNOS DE LA ALHAMBRA I núm. 49 I 2020 I págs. 315-330
Recibido:2 octubre 2020 | Revisado: 30 octubre 2020 | Aceptado: 16 noviembre 2020 | Publicado: 24 diciembre 2020
ISSN: 0590 - 1987 I eISSN: 2695-379X I Depósito legal: GR 70-1965
316 CARMEN RALLO GRUSS
IL. 1. Lucía Rivas. Vestibule of the Cuarto de los Reyes (2020). APAG.
CUADERNOS DE LA ALHAMBRA I núm. 49 I 2020 I págs. 315-330
THE PAINTED GARDEN: THE PAINTINGS IN THE SALA DE LOS REYES OF THE PATIO DE LOS LEONES 317
Thus will he absolve you of your sins and the monarch of Granada commissioned the pain-
bring you into gardens under which rivers tings he wanted something special and unique with
flow and into pleasant dwellings in the gar- a different reading that used different techniques
dens of Eden. That is the ultimate triumph! from the other ornamentation in his palace. There
Qur’an 61:12 are many theories about their meaning, dates and
the origin of their author(s), wrapping them in an
aura of romantic mystery due to a lack of documen-
tation in the texts, slowing down any serious, objec-
When studying a work of art, it cannot be consi- tive and scientific study.
dered as an isolated, independent element, but
instead must be examined as part of the context to It should first be noted that the location chosen to
which it belongs. The paintings of the Cuarto de los represent these pictorial scenes are the domes of
Reyes (Hall of the Kings) are found in an impor- the rooms, a space reserved for elements of great
tant, pre-eminent, and intentionally selected place symbolic and mystical importance, from where, as
in the complex of the Palacio de los Leones (Palace was the case in the Salón de Comares (Hall of Coma-
of the Lions), called Qasr al-Riyad or the ‘the For- res), «just as God.... presides over the heavens and
tress of the Happy Garden’ in the Diwan of vizier earth the sultan (in this case Muhammad V)... from
Ibn Zamrak; they therefore cannot have been solely his throne, presides over the union of people who
made for the pleasure of contemplation alone. are subject to him and he represented the power of
God in his kingdom»6. Secondly, the elliptical shape
The Palacio de los Leones was constructed during of these ceilings is relevant; it is derived from the
one time period and is partly enigmatic because it circle, a perfect shape, representing the eternal, the
is not clear how its buildings and spaces worked transcendent, the divine. Different in shape from
. Its distribution shows a coherence that can only all the other ceilings of the Alhambra, the compo-
signify thoughtfully considered organisation, «... it sition of the images in these elliptical vaults lacks
is in fact a very complicated complex in which the
whole and the parts are related to each other in an
unusual way...»2. As an ideological unit it should be
noted that the whole Palacio de los Leones was erec-
ted by Muhammad V with a very specific objective:
his own exaltation, the demonstration of his power,
1. FERNÄNDEZ PUERTAS, A. La Alhambra. en: Ibn Jaldún. El
his genealogy and his legitimacy, as a means of pro- Mediterráneo en el siglo XIV. Granada: El legado andalusí, 2006,
paganda and representation of the Nasrid dynasty3 . 98–125, p. 99: “The Alhambra is the only medieval palace complex
that has survived in the Muslim West, but until now we have not
known with certainty how its main rooms, courtyards and palaces
The formal unity of its elements is achieved throu- were originally used.”
gh colour and the handling of light. With regards
2. GRABAR, O. La Alhambra: Iconografía, formas y valores. Madrid:
to colour, the whole complex stands out for its de- Alianza Editorial, 1984, p. 164.
coration in gold and blue4, symbolic colours of the
3. VIGUERA MOLINS, Mª J. Historia de España de Menéndez Pi-
Alhambra. In terms of light, it is illuminated by the dal, tomo VIII: El reino nazarí de Granada (1232–1492). Madrid:
specific composition of its elements5: the slim co- Espasa Calpe, 2000, p. 320. Molins Viguera explains that this was
Ibn al-Khatib’s intention for his monarch.
lumns, ornate muqarnas, plasterwork and outstan-
ding viewpoints produce an open, aerial effect, with 4. Even the remains of paintings on royal tombstones are found in
these colours.
illusory spaces that confuse the spectator, as in the
Sala de los Reyes, whose vestibule is the preparatory 5. GARCÍA GÓMEZ, E. Foco de antigua luz sobre la Alhambra. Ma-
drid: Inst. Egipcio de Estudios Islámicos, 1988, p 63. Also in this
setting for a more intimate environment of great sense, JONES, O.(Handbook to the Alhambra Court, 1854), in El
importance and symbolism (Il. 1). Patio Alhambra y El Crystal Palace. Granada: Patronato de la Alham-
bra, 2010, p. 14: (Hall of the Court) “...a clever solution is to place
alternating dark and light sections and flat ceilings to visually en-
The paintings located in the three vaulted ceilings large the space.”
of the Cuarto de los Reyes may seem modest; howe- 6. CABANELAS, D. El techo del Salón de Comares. Granada: Patro-
ver, their importance lies in their singularity. When nato de La Alhambra, 1988, p.83.
CUADERNOS DE LA ALHAMBRA I núm. 49 I 2020 I págs. 315-330
318 CARMEN RALLO GRUSS
narrative clarity in favour of a cyclical reading. Si-
7. There are also many references to the stars as God’s work in
milarly, the compositions differ across the three the Qur’an.
vaults but present a common radial structure.
Articles on this subject: CONTRERAS, R. Ligero estudio sobre las
The similar layout of the two lateral compositions pinturas de la Alhambra. Madrid: Noguera, 1875 (Contreras worked
aims to give a sense of symmetry, harmony, and very closely with the paintings when he raised and converted the
balance to the whole, functioning as a frame, em- roof) and, above all, BERMUDEZ PAREJA, J. Pinturas sobre piel en
la Alhambra. Granada: Patronato de La Alhambra, 1987. Other re-
phasizing and complementing the main, central ports on the technique are extrapolated from research carried out
painting; the juxtaposition of their sense of mo- by the IAPH (Andalusian Historical Heritage Institute) on wood,
vement against the rigidity of the central painting leather, plant fibres, metallic elements, plaster, and painting mate-
rials, and the 2010 report on the restoration of the reverse side of
aims to enhance it by contrast. At their zeniths, the vaults, by the Board of Trustees of the Alhambra.
all three have a representation of the firmament at 9. In the Alhambra there are many examples of mural painting on
their centres, the axis of the three compositions; walls and in vaults: Torre de los Picos (Tower of the Points), bases
celestial motifs are not unusual in other decora- in the Patio del Harén (Harem Courtyard), etc. And, excluding the
paintings in the Partal Palace that do not have a wood or leather
tions in the Patio de los Leones. A sky full of stars, base, all are frescos painted on lime and sand mortar (see RALLO,
as an exponent of luxury and power, an abstract C. Aportaciones a la técnica y estilística de la Pintura Mural en Castilla
and permanent, motionless, indifferent spectator a final de la Edad Media. Madrid: Fundación Universitaria Española,
2002).
above the different scenes7.
10. This mixed technique, with the addition of oil, was very com-
mon in 14th century Christian altarpieces. Contreras incorrectly
Finally, the technique chosen by the creator of
8
states it was not used in this work, to support his theory that Chris-
this work is also unique9: tanned leather plates tian techniques were not used: “...the paintings of the Alhambra
are not dissolved with linseed, as Christian ones were...”
were nailed to a coniferous wood frame, like an
inverted boat, and a preparatory layer made from 11. RALLO, C., El cuero como soporte de la pintura en la Baja Edad
Media: el mundo cristiano y el islámico. Mil años del trabajo del cue-
plaster and glue was applied on top as a base for ro. Cordoba: University, 2003, pp. 485-500. I would like to thank
colours in tempera grassa that are brighter and Fernando Gutiérrez Baños, lecturer at the University of Valladolid,
longer-lasting over time10. Only a few, less im- for citing other examples, studied by him, of tombs where a parch-
ment and plaster primer were applied to a wooden frame as a base
portant examples of this technique are known in for tempera painting: the tomb of the knight Sánchez Carrillo, in
Christian areas; the most outstanding is the de- Mahamud (Burgos), the tomb of the Infanta Doña Leonor at the
coration of the Arca de San Isidro in Almudena Royal Monastery of Santo Domingo de Caleruega and the façade of
Santa María del Monte, in Liesa, Huesca.
Cathedral in Madrid11. Did Sultan Muhammad V,
12. PAVÓN MALDONADO, B. Arte toledano islámico y mudéjar.
with this unique approach, want to compete with Madrid: Instituto Hispano-Arabe de Cultura, 1973, p. 265: “The ar-
the paintings that were being created at this time tist who makes the paintings fulfils a task with which he has been
in Christian lands? The paintings of the Cuar- entrusted in exceptional circumstances: Moors and Christians of
the court mingle on equal terms. The result will be a true artis-
to de los Reyes can be considered the maximum tic-historical message”. IBN JALDÚN, apud SIMONET, F.J. Influen-
exponent of the assimilation, the cultural exchan- cia del elemento indígena en los moros del reino de Granada. Tangier
ge, that existed between Christians and Muslims, 1805, p. 56: “A people neighbouring another that is considerably
superior to it cannot but copy and imitate it to a great extent. This
which was strengthened by border relationships happens today among the Andalusians because of their relations-
developed over centuries12. hip with the Galicians, seeing how they look alike in clothing and
attire, uses and customs, reaching the extreme of putting images
and imitations on the walls of their houses, in their buildings and
We do not have the keys to interpret the works that rooms. Whoever observes this with the eyes of wisdom cannot but
the people who admired these paintings would consider it a sign of foreign superiority and predominance. But the
have had in their time13, cultured people who en- empire belongs to God.”
tered a private environment, rooms reserved for 13. BARKAI, R. Cristianos y musulmanes en el mundo medieval, el
enemigo en el espejo. Madrid: Rialp, 1984, p. 11 “The image is in-
the sultan, his family and his court; and, even «we deed the literal expression of reality.... It is not an objective descrip-
will never manage to know the scope of orality tion of reality but a reflection of the subjective ideas of those who
in a mostly illiterate society»14. However, we can describe it.” Consequently, the subjectivity of the artists or their
patron in the creation of the paintings makes a contemporary in-
venture a hypothesis that, while new, is based on terpretation difficult.
the idea stated above: the Cuarto de los Leones
14. RUIZ SOUZA, J. C. De la Alhambra de Granada al Monasterio
complex is a response to a clearly defined wish, a de El Escorial, Reales Sitios: Revista del Patrimonio Nacional 195,
message born out of political design, the result of 2013, págs. 4-27, p. 26.
CUADERNOS DE LA ALHAMBRA I núm. 49 I 2020 I págs. 315-330
THE PAINTED GARDEN: THE PAINTINGS IN THE SALA DE LOS REYES OF THE PATIO DE LOS LEONES 319
IL. 2. Lucía Rivas. Central vault, gathering of the Nasrid kings (2020). APAG.
historical circumstances, the sultan’s sole purpo- sis: English historian Albert Calvert who visited
se15: the exaltation and glorification of his lineage. the Alhambra with his friend Mariano Contreras
at the end of the 19th century (his father, Rafael,
In the central vault (Il. 2), the most important was a curator), transcribed epigraphs of the mo-
of the three, ten characters are depicted dressed nument; in the entrance arch to the vestibule of
in rich silks and seated on a bench with Nasrid the Cuarto de los Reyes, in the part corresponding
shields; in their hands, they hold swords with fine to the central vault, he read: «Eternal power and
hilts. They are in friendly conversation among imperishable glory be to the dynasty of the owner
themselves; only one, whom several point to with of this palace18.
their hands, looks out at the viewer. Of the many
interpretations that have been offered regarding However, this study shall analyse the side vaults
this gathering of figures, Lalaing (1501) was the (Ils. 3) (Il. 4). in greater detail, where different na-
first to identify them as portraits of the Granada rrative scenes can be seen, each running into the
kings: «on the ceiling of this room are lifelike next without a clear separation, where different
paintings of all the kings of Granada since many
years past»16, Hurtado de Mendoza, Gómez-More-
no, Vilchez Vilchez, Cabrera, Pareja López, etc. ex-
press similar; however, there are some who think
that the group portrays a meeting of jurists (lea-
ding to the name ‘Sala de la Justicia’ (‘Hall of Jus-
15. PUERTA VILCHEZ, J.M. Valores ontológicos, escatológicos y
tice’) in the 17th century), qadis, or sages. I have artísticos del agua en la cultura árabe e islámica. Cuadernos de la
extensively argued their identification as the ten Alhambra 43, 2008, p.79: “[these paintings] reinforce courtly un-
derstanding, representative of the Palacio de los Leones.”
Nasrid kings before (and including) Muhammad
V, who would be the central character and patron 16. GARCÍA MERCADAL, J. España vista por los extranjeros. Madrid:
Biblioteca Nueva (Artes Gráficas), 1929, p. 162.
of the work. He would have determined what was
represented in the vaults in the Palace of the Ha- 17. RALLO, C. “…In the world we owe our fortune to our swords.”
Muhammad V promotor de las pinturas de la sala de los Reyes en la
ppy Garden and how: Sultan Muhammad V and Alhambra. The Powers of Symbols. Bern: Peter Lang, 2018.
his predecessors17. I will only cite here one last 18. CALVERT, A. F, The Alhambra, London Georges Philip & Son,
piece of information that confirms this hypothe- 1904, p. 38.
CUADERNOS DE LA ALHAMBRA I núm. 49 I 2020 I págs. 315-330
320 CARMEN RALLO GRUSS
IL. 3. Lucía Rivas. South vault of the Cuarto de los Reyes (2020). APAG.
times and places are mixed so that they share the
same context: a background tapestry. These si-
20. BORLAND, J. “The Forested Frontier: Commentary in the Mar-
multaneous scenes opposite or consecutive to one gins of the Alhambra Ceiling Paintings”, Medieval Encounters 14,
another, «which are understood as a simultaneous Leiden, 2008, pp. 303-340, p. 339.
illusion»20, are decorative rather than narrative. The 21. Many authors have written about these interpretations, Spa-
ornamentation of these vaults cannot be apprecia- nish: AZCARATE, PIQUERO LÓPEZ, PAVÓN MALDONADO, RA-
LLO, and international: LOOMIS, DODDS, ROBINSON, etc. The
ted as a set of isolated elements, by interpreting the
following book specifically focuses on this topic: Cross disciplinary
painted scenes of the fountains, hunting, duelling, approaches to the hall of justice ceilings. Leiden: Brill, 2008, with
the savage, courtly love, play, etc. and researching contributions from various specialists,
their individual iconographic sources21, without 22. ROBINSON, C. Arthur in the Alhambra? Narrative and Nasrid
considering the whole; it is vital that the relations- Courtly self-fashioning in the Hall of Justice ceiling paintings. Cross
disciplinary approaches to the hall of justice ceilings. Leiden: Brill,
hip between the three domes and their context is 2008a, pp. 12-26: “The motifs on the ceilings contain a multipli-
remembered, with «different levels of iconographic city of meanings, which communicate a coherent narrative with
a social message expressly created for the interests of the Nasrid
interpretation», and a «multiplicity of meanings»22,
family, and it exists in a direct relationship with the meaning of the
which is very common in Islamic art. entire palace theme.”
23. ECHEVARRÍA, A. Paintings politics in the Alhambra. Cross disci-
For a symbolic reading, the scenes have been plinary approaches to the hall of justice ceilings. Leiden: Brill, 2008,
related to the didactic purpose of functioning p. 201: “... If we assume that these spaces did indeed serve as the
royal library, it is conceivable – and even likely – that the iconogra-
as a ‘mirror of princes’ due to the rooms’ use23, phic conception of the ceiling paintings was in some way related to
using common, familiar places and being legible the contents of that library.”
thanks to their contemporary nature, with literary 24. Nos comenta GOLFERICHS, M. y HANEGAT. L. La Alhambra,
references and traditional iconography24. Their investigación y estudio histórico, arqueológico y artístico del monu-
mento. Barcelona: David, 1929, p. 174. The authors on what is re-
formal language, perhaps based on the Arthurian presented in these vaults: “This is a common legend in the Arago-
cycle in fashion in the fourteenth century, where nese Aljamia texts, since it is none other than the one mentioned in
scenes of courtly love are mixed with others of the story of Almikdad and Almayesa and published by Mariano de
Pano, a story written by a Moor from Aragon, bordering Catalonia
hunting and duelling, is used for political ends and, in our view, the regions of Teruel.”
and is intended to link the overall decoration of
25. ROBINSON, C. Marginal ornament: poetic, mimesis and de-
the Cuarto de los Leones, including these pain- votion in the palace of the lions. Muqarnas 25, 2008b, pp. 1-27 and
tings, with Sufism25, a religious persuasion prac- 14-21.
CUADERNOS DE LA ALHAMBRA I núm. 49 I 2020 I págs. 315-330
THE PAINTED GARDEN: THE PAINTINGS IN THE SALA DE LOS REYES OF THE PATIO DE LOS LEONES 321
IL. 4. Lucía Rivas. North vault of the Cuarto de los Reyes (2020). APAG.
tised at the court of Muhammad V26 and conside-
red at that time as science by Ibn al-Khatib, who
extols human love as a way to divine love27, the
«way of love» that starts with a knowledge of na-
ture. Few examples of Muslim literature on the
subject of courtly love have been passed down to
us28. However, as a testimony to their existence, 26. PUERTA VILCHEZ, J. M. La peripecia política y mística de Ibn-al
García Gómez describes one such work called Jatib. Historia del sufismo en al-Andalus. Almuzara, 2009, pp. 119-
143, p. 119: “Tasawwuf (Sufism or Islamic mysticism) was one of
The Lovers’ Garden by Ibn Qayyim al- Chanziyya, the formal disciplines that was part of the education of the intellec-
an oriental work that was not commonly found in tual elites of the time, especially in its moderate or orthodox ver-
Spain but that could be identified in The Lovers' sion defined by Al-Ghazali. It even developed into a kind of courtly
Sufism that some 14th century rulers, like Yusuf I, did not hesitate
Forest, an Arabic text mentioned in relation to the to encourage...”
library of Isabella I of Castile, which is current- 27. CHEVALIER, J. El sufismo y la tradición islámica. Barcelona:
ly missing or unidentified. These iconographic Kairós, 1986, p. 271: “But this exclusive doctrine opened the way,
representations where subjects from different leaving aside any mysticism and despite its apparent similarities,
to the most delicate refinements of love. For if man could not unite
stories are mixed without following a logical or- his soul with his Creator, he could put much soul into his human
der29, that exalt the triumph of love, frequently love.”
use symbols from the ‘border romance’ repertoi- 28. EGUILAZ YANGUAS, L., El Hadith de la princesa Zoraida. Gra-
re created in times of peace. nada: Sabatel, 1892, reveals, with great 19th century romanticism,
an “Aljamía codex of one hundred and three sheets of cebtí paper
and Andalusian Arabic characters” found in Mesones (Zamora),
However, to summarise, these scenes are illus- “copy of an earlier one since it begins: ... says the narrator....”. It re-
trated anecdotes, mere ‘fashionable’ copies of the counts a love story that takes place at the court of John II of Castile
(the historian assumed these vaults to be from the time of Muley
models that would have circulated among painters
Hacén, father of Boabdil) between the daughter of the emperor of
in the second half of the 14th century (Ilus. 5 - 6), Tartary, Zoraida, the son of the Nasrid king Sidi Saad, Abulhassam,
iconographic sources, language tools at the service and Christian knight Farias Aceja. It describes scenes of hunting,
meetings by the fountain, and battles, ending with the death of
of ideas. Because, without breaking down the com- Farias Aceja and the wedding of Zoraida and Abulhassam. Coin-
positions into parts, what would a viewer see when cidentally, a sheet of paper came with this work copying the roofs
admiring these two vaults, what common elements of the Alhambra.
do they share? The representation of a garden, the 29. As is the case with scenes depicted in French ivory carvings.
CUADERNOS DE LA ALHAMBRA I núm. 49 I 2020 I págs. 315-330
322 CARMEN RALLO GRUSS
IL. 5. Carmen Rallo. Comparison between pictorial motifs: on the left, hunter with dogs and falcon from the Crónica Troyana (El Escorial), on the
right, hunter from the Alhambra paintings (south vault). Although reversed, it is easy to see that they have drawn from the same sources.
Garden, painted in predominantly blue and green, to Chinese origins, while Coomaraswamy found
a lush garden, full of plants and animals, coinci- these trees in India in representations of the birth
ding with the general idea of the Happy Garden, of Brahma.
common to other places and epigraphic inscrip-
tions in the Patio de los Leones. The painted garden of the Cuarto de los Reyes, with
its profusion of plant life (plants and fruits, flowers
For a Spanish-Muslim the most welcoming type with large petals) and birds, and that develops as a
of nature was nature that had been embellished by continuous orchard in its truest expression, would
man’s hand: the garden (rawd), the subject of many have represented Paradise, a Paradise31 whose me-
artistic creations30. And in the garden, flowers and aning was linked to earthly pleasure32 (with games,
birds of various types and species. ladies, and hunting, the most frequent topic in the-
se vaults). It is as if a supernatural vision of Paradi-
The first impression one has when looking at the se was painted for us33, descriptions in the Qur’an
painted gardens of the Cuarto de los Reyes is that reiterate that this garden will have water flowing
the material form has been turned into a vehicle
for expressing a ‘horror vacui’ typically found in
oriental works. In the Orient, depictions of plants
are confused with fauna; in the Indian garden,
pomegranate trees bloom to produce multicolou- 30. In part, I am basing this on my text that, together with RUIZ
red birds. These hybrid oriental gardens undergo SOUZA, J.C. was published as “El Palacio de Ruy Dávalos y sus
bocetos inéditos en la Sinagoga del Tránsito.” Al-Qantara 20, 1999,
constant metamorphosis and reached the Western pp. 275-297.
world through both decoration and literature, in 31. In fact, for the Hispano-Muslim, Paradise was al-Andalus itself,
the form of travel stories. Odorico de Podemone as expressed by Ibn Khafaja, the poet from Alzira (in PÉRÈS, H. La
(1331) describes a tree that, instead of fruit, pro- poésie andalouse en arabe clasique au XI siècle. Paris: Maisonneuve,
1953, p. 116 “Paradise in al-Andalus has a beauty that reveals itself
duces men and women who are attached to the to us like that of a newly-wed, and there the gusts of the breeze are
trunk by their lower limbs. Turning to the Tree of deliciously scented.”
Jesse, Christian art historian Kingsley Porter con- 32. BROOKES, J., Gardens of Paradise: The History and Design of
firmed that it had oriental ancestry and linked it the Great Islamic Gardens. London: New Amsterdam, 1987.
CUADERNOS DE LA ALHAMBRA I núm. 49 I 2020 I págs. 315-330
THE PAINTED GARDEN: THE PAINTINGS IN THE SALA DE LOS REYES OF THE PATIO DE LOS LEONES 323
IL. 6. Carmen Rallo. Comparison between pictorial motifs: on the left, savage with lady in the Alhambra (south vault); on the right, savage with
lady at Alcañiz Castle, Teruel.
below34. Water, also a recurring theme in the Mus-
lim world, is an essential element throughout the
palace and appears profusely; here it can be seen in
the central fountain, the Fuente de los Leones (the
Lion Fountain) and also in the decorative features35.
33. PÉREZ HIGUERA, M. T. El jardín del paraíso: paralelismos
In these paintings, water is not only represented iconológicos en el arte hispanomusulmán y cristiano medieval.
Archivo Español de Arte 241, 1988, pp. 37-52, referring to the ico-
as a flowing current (the movement of the water is nography of the palace of Suero Tellez: “...it is probable... inspired
painted with lines) in the lower areas, where ducks by phrases in the Qur’an and other Muslim texts, where it is often
relax (Il. 7), it plays a leading role in the northern repeated that the chosen ones will inhabit mansions or dwellings
set among the trees of Paradise.”
vault where it is emphasized with two painted foun-
34. QUR’AN 13:35. “Image of the Garden promised to those who
tains, symmetrically located midway along its length. fear God: under it rivers flow, it has everlasting fruit and shade.
These fountains have Christian-style basins because That will be the end of those who feared God. The end of the disbe-
Muslim fountains (of which the Alhambra has many lievers, however, shall be Fire.”
good examples) had large, knee-height basins, where 35. RUIZ SOUZA, J.C., El Palacio de los Leones: espacio de virtud
people could enjoy the sound and contemplation of del Príncipe. The Powers of Symbols. Bern: Peter Lang, 201, pp.71-
82, p-74 (in relation to the palace domes): “In several of the latter,
water as they sat close to the ground. In turn, the among the muqarnas, water courses have been clearly painted that
painted fountains have a basin at waist height and descend towards the earth, as if they were rivers.” These trails in
are comprised of various different levels, indicating blue turn into plant motifs towards their ends.
that their iconographic models would have been 36. In ROBINSON, C. (2008a), Op. cit., p. 176, it is erroneously
described as octagonal. According to this author, the young people
Christian miniatures. The smaller one has a square who appear in the symmetrical doors of the castle are Tristan and
basin with lion heads at the centre of each side and Isolde, the same as at the fountain. Quadrangular fountains are
is situated in front of a castle; it has three levels with more common in contemporary iconography, such as the fountain
in the Chiaramonte Palace in Sicily or the alfarje of the Monastery
twisted columns and is topped by the sculpture of a of Santo Domingo in Silos. BERNIS MADRAZO, C., “Las pinturas
dog that has water flowing out of its mouth like a jet. de los Reyes de La Alhambra”, Cuadernos de la Alhambra, no.18,
The other fountain, where a maiden and a lady are Granada, 1982 pp.21-49, Lám. III shows us hexagonal models on
an ivory comb from the Victoria and Albert Museum and in the
in lively conversation, is larger and its basin is hexa- mural painting of Manta Castle (Piedmont) and Pietra Castle (Ca-
gonal36. Fountains, which are traditionally linked lliano).
CUADERNOS DE LA ALHAMBRA I núm. 49 I 2020 I págs. 315-330
324 CARMEN RALLO GRUSS
IL. 7. Lucía Rivas. Ducks in the flowing stream below (north vault)(2020). APAG.
to eternal life, can have different meanings, since bol of power), and the fountains are crowned by a
this second fountain37 where five naked youths can dog (symbol of loyalty). Water leaving an animal’s
be seen bathing in the basin, could represent the mouth is commonly seen in Muslim fountains, for
Fountain of Life or the Fountain of Eternal Youth38. example the Fuente de los Leones (Fountain of the
It is a traditional allegorical theme of a sensual na- Lions) itself, or the bronze animals43 seen in the
ture, the centre of the amorous universe, based on Medina Azahara, which fulfilled the same function.
classical legends such as that of Juno who bathed According to tradition, fountains with animals once
to retain her body’s strength, or Jupiter, who tur- existed in the Ghumdan Palace of Solomon (althou-
ned the nymph Juventas into a fountain and then gh instead of water they blew out air, to imitate the
whoever bathed in it grew younger39. There, young
couples, having regained their vigour and youthful-
ness after bathing, rediscovered the meaning of life
and abandoned themselves to love and pleasure.... 37. This fountain, as well as the theme of the savage, leads to CON-
This type of fountain is often situated in a tree-li- TRERAS, R. La Sala del Solio in the Alcazar of Segovia. AEA XIV,
ned landscape in connection with earthly Paradise. 1940. p. 261-271 and 268-269 to establish parallels between the
decoration of this hall and the hall that Henry II of Castile ordered
The Fountain of Paradise, a common feature of to be built in the Alcazar of Segovia.
both Christian and Islamic texts, divides into four
38. The Fountain of Youth with people bathing can be apprecia-
sections while here each of the two fountains only ted in decorated ivory, such as the examples inventoried by KOE-
divides into two directions due to the spatial requi- CHLIN, R. Les ivoires gothiques français. Paris: Auguste Picard,
1924), numbers 1118 B and 1151. This iconography is more de-
rements of the composition. The fountain of Love tailed in MATEO GOMEZ, I. Temas profanos de la escultura gótica.
or Life, which appears in late Roman Christian mo- Madrid: CSIC, 1979, pp. 259-261.
saics, was very successful in the Renaissance40 as 39. The Fountain of Eternal Youth appears many times in Christian
an accompaniment to courtly love41, an ideal place literature; it is the rite of immersion.
for romantic encounters; it was already included in 40. Similarly to the sculptural facade of the old Colegio de San Gre-
Muslim literature. For example, in the Historia del gorio, with a hexagonal basin and bathing putti, today the National
Museum of Sculpture in Valladolid, attributed to Gil de Siloé.
Abencerraje y la hermosa Jarifa, (History of Abence-
rraje and the beautiful Jarifa) who meet at the foun- 41. It had already appeared in the 12th century as the ‘garden of
love’, in ALVAR, C. Le Roman de la Rose, Guillaume de Lorris, Bar-
tain, «...composing her beautiful head, and full of celona: Quaderns Cream, 1985,
confusion and love they saw their reflection in the
42. VILLEGAS (1565), study by LÓPEZ ESTRADA, F. El Abencerraje
water»42. y la hermosa Jarifa. Madrid: Publicaciones de la Revista de Archi-
vos, Bibliotecas y Museos, 1957, p. 322.
In both examples in the Sala de los Reyes, three 43. See the exhibition Las artes del metal en Al-Andalus, at the Mu-
lion-headed channels run off the fountain (sym- seo Arqueológico, Madrid, 2020.
CUADERNOS DE LA ALHAMBRA I núm. 49 I 2020 I págs. 315-330THE PAINTED GARDEN: THE PAINTINGS IN THE SALA DE LOS REYES OF THE PATIO DE LOS LEONES 325
roar of lions), and they are known to exist in the Se- the shy and defenceless animals that they are47; In
ville palace of Al-Mu’tamid, with an elephant spout, Islamic tradition they symbolise good fortune and
or in the palace of Abd al-Rahman III at the Medina fertility; they appear in the Bayad wa Riyad, folio
Azahara. 13r, as do ducks. The lion, a symbol of power, stren-
gth and royalty, is portrayed in these scenes as wild,
The animals represented in the Painted Garden, as a prize to be hunted with a lance or sword, or as
similarly to Gothic paintings of this period, have a trained lion, chained to the lady or to the feet of
an incipient naturalism; instead of exotic animals the maiden playing chess, as a sign of submission
such as camels and elephants, the fauna of the and recognition of her lineage. The symbolism of
context of the Alhambra is revealed: game ani- the lion has been widely studied, from Ramon Llull
mals (hares, rabbits, foxes, dogs, horses, fallow in his Félix48 to Bermudez Pareja49. Lions would not
deer, bears, lions, wild boars) and also a wide have existed in the forests of the Alhambra, unless
variety of poultry (rooster, pigeon), birds of prey the sultan had a zoo, which was not uncommon
(goshawk or hawk), waterfowl (ducks, cranes) and among Muslim rulers (like that of Abd al-Rahman
others (vulture, magpie, turtledove, goldfinch, III in Medina Azahara50) of Christians (for exam-
etc). The most prominent animal in the paintings ple, Henry IV at the Royal Palace of Valsain). The
is the horse (five in each lateral vault), the symbol image of dogs accompanying hunters was an image
of the knight44, the prince’s mirror. All the horses that was redeveloped in the Middle Ages as man’s
represented are at a gallop, except for two that are faithful friend, keeper of his house and companion
standing but harnessed and led by the reins by on his hunts.
their masters as a sign of respect for their ladies,
bearing their hunted prize. These last two horse In the enclosure of the Alhambra there was a royal
heads are portrayed leaning towards the viewer, park used to contain game animals, with limits si-
revealing a study of perspective and foreshorte- milar to those described as the «Alhambra Forest»
ning, resolved earlier in 13th century miniatures. in the Cadastre of the Marquis de la Ensenada (1749)
We can also distinguish the different way Chris- and it is described as follows by al-Khatib: «Vast
tians and Muslims rode, the latter with a more
flexible saddle with shortened stirrups and bent
knees, the former with sabatons, spurs (seen on
the knight who offers the bear to the lady) and a
44. RAYNAUD, C., Mythes, cultures et societé, s. XII-XV. Paris: Le
rigid leg position, i.e. riding in the ‘guisa’, ‘bri- Léopard d'or, 1995, p. 8 comments that in Le Roman de Tristan,
da’ or ‘estradiota’ style, as a symbol of belonging twenty-two of its thirty miniatures show horses.
to the Order of Chivalry. The colours of the hor- 45. Fox hunting with a greyhound is even depicted in the northern
ses are varied, from white to different shades of vault, next to the lion hunt.
chestnut and are always the same for the same 46. MATEO GÓMEZ, I. (1979), op. cit. p. 86, op. cit. : Hare and
character. Their tails particularly stand out and rabbit, very diverse symbolism “The Bible considers it an unclean
animal and, with negative connotations, it also appears in some
are braided when the horse is used in the forest iconographies symbolizing lust.”
for hunting, to avoid being tangled up in the bus- 47.Their half-bodies could also symbolize their speed, recognized
hes when running, and loose when the animal is by all the writers of the period, for example the saying of the Mar-
in representation scenes. qués de Santillana: “El conejo ydo y el consejo venido” (“The rabbit
went and the advice came” equivalent to the saying “After meat,
mustard.”)
Continuing in order of frequency the next most
48. LLULL, R. Félix o el Libro de las Maravillas. Paris: Rocher, 2000,
common animals are the stars of big game hun- p. 145.
ting: the bear, the wild boar, the lion and the deer.
49. BERMÚDEZ LÓPEZ, J. et alii, Valores simbólicos e iconográfi-
Big game animals were all known by the name of cos de la Fuente de los Leones de la Alhambra. Cuadernos de Arte
‘deer’ 45 and are abundant in Islamic depictions in e Iconografía VI-11 (1993).
ceramic, as are small game such as rabbits and ha- 50. IBN JALDÚN, al-'Ibar, IV, 144 (reproduced in AL-MAQQARI,
res. Rabbits are very abundant and appear in many Analectes sur l’Histoire et la Littérature des Arabes d’Espagne. Vol. I,
Amsterdam, 1967, p.380), tells us how Abd al Rahmàn al-Nàsir
different postures. Many have only half their bodies built a real zoo with animal houses and aviaries in the gardens of
painted as they emerge from the undergrowth, like Medina Azahara.
CUADERNOS DE LA ALHAMBRA I núm. 49 I 2020 I págs. 315-330326 CARMEN RALLO GRUSS
gardens and dense forests belonging to the Sultan’s water, e.g. ducks55, and in the sky: doves, owls, turt-
private assets surround the fortress walls…»51. Deer, ledoves, goldfinches; they are difficult to identify
whose meat was eaten in Granada, were abundant because they are all painted in similar sizes and co-
in the mountains of the 15th century, according to lours. The topic of birds was important to Muslims;
Münzer52, as were fallow deer, wild boar, bears and men of war held general superstitions about their
hares. To preserve the forests that surrounded the flight direction: flying from the right meant a good
Alhambra, which had been plundered since the fall outcome while flying from the left was a bad omen
of Granada, Ferdinand I issued a Royal Provision in (a superstition that influenced Christians), unlike
1499 that prohibited hunting and cutting firewood in the Roman world . Ibn al-Khatib, in his work Mi-
in the area of Granada53: yar al-Ijtiyar, mentions the nightingale and the turt-
ledove as birds of Granada57. The image of Muslim
«...inasmuch as it is my mercy and will that Paradise is traditionally represented by trees with
in certain areas and in the mountains and birds which, according to the Sufis, are souls in the
groves of the city of granada and its region Qur’an’s garden of paradise and the Qur’an descri-
the hunt shall be forbidden, I therefore com- bes spiritual understanding as a long flight58 from
mand and defend that none and any persons ignorance to enlightenment.
of any law, state or condition, may they be
an eminence or dignity, shall dare not hunt The figure of a cockerel in the sky stands out in the
pigs, boars, bears or deer». north vault, on the side of the pavilion. According
to Felix de Ramon Llull, the cockerel becomes an
He also banned small game hunting: «...that they advisor to the lion king through the fox, because he
dare not hunt hares, rabbits, pheasants, partrid- is «wise and knows how to be lord to the chickens.
ges...and other birds». In 1505, Joanna of Castile At dawn, he sings clearly…»59. In that same vault,
revoked this prohibition order. a black and white magpie can be made out in fli-
ght, next to the apes, appearing to say something
Two apes in a tree in the northern vault are remar- in one’s ear, while another can be seen perched in
kable for their rarity (Il. 8); they appear in the scene a tree. In the southern vault, another magpie walks
of a knight dressed in the Moorish style delivering across the ground next to the chained lion; all three
a prize (a wild boar) to his lady. Their poses, in are always close to a lady. In fables, magpies appear
conversation and with a right hand raised, imita-
te the stances of the characters in the lower area.
Monkeys, which appear in Spain in Romanesque
capitals such as those of Loarre, are usually inter-
51. IBN AL-JATIB, Historia de los reyes de la Alhambra: El resplandor
preted as symbols of general vice and are identified
de la luna llena, Al-Lamba al-badriyya, E. MOLINA. Granada: Uni-
with the devil, capital sins, or the vices of usury, dis- versidad de Granada, 1998, p.10.
cord or, more specifically, lust. They often appear 52. In 1494 this traveller was invited on a wild boar hunt by the
as marginal figures in medieval manuscripts and mayor of Fiñana MÜNZER, J. Viaje por España y Portugal, Reino de
play a leading role in tales in Calila e Dimna, em- Granada Madrid: Polifemo, 1991, p. 357.
phasising their similarity to man and his clumsy 53. Apud MOLINA FAJARDO, E. Caza en el recinto de la Alhambra.
and crazy customs. In Arabic iconography the Granada: Cuadernos de la Alhambra 3, 1967, pp. 31-53, p. 33.
monkey appears as «playful and libertine» in Ibn 54. RUIZ BRAVO-VILLASANTE, C. Libro de las utilidades de los ani-
males de Ibn al-Durayhim. Madrid: Edilan, 1981, p. 41, folio 57v,
al-Durayhim’s Libro de las utilidades de los animales manuscrito de la Biblioteca del Escorial.
de Ibn al-Durayhim54. The two monkeys in the vault
55. Mention here the ducks represented in the Samarra murals.
are placed symmetrically with another character
in another tree in the same vault, a squire or scout 56. GALMES DE FUENTES, A. Épica árabe y épica castellana. Bar-
celona: Ariel, 1977, p. 126.
who plays a musical instrument to attract prey in
57. CHABANA, M. K. Miyar al-Ijtiyar, Morocco, 1977, p. 133
the bear hunt; the painter placed him here to achie-
ve a visual balance. 58. QUR’AN 24:41: “Do you not see that those in the heavens and
on earth, and the birds with their wings outstretched, glorify God?
Everyone knows how to pray and how to glorify him. God knows
The most abundant animals are birds, both in the what he ‘does’.”
CUADERNOS DE LA ALHAMBRA I núm. 49 I 2020 I págs. 315-330THE PAINTED GARDEN: THE PAINTINGS IN THE SALA DE LOS REYES OF THE PATIO DE LOS LEONES 327
IL. 8. Lucía Rivas. Pair of monkeys in a tree (north dome). (2020). APAG.
alongside foxes as their victims, but they can also could reach up to 1 m in size and gyrfalcons or large
speak in different languages; they represent am- falcons were needed to hunt it.
biguity and duality, which even transcends the
fragile relationship between the Nasrids and their A particular highlight is the depiction of peregrine
Christian allies. Nightingales are songbirds that are falcon hunting a dove shown in four stages, as if it
always painted in the vicinity of ladies (one is next were a film (Il. 9)61.
to the lady who is witnessing the duel, another is
next to the castle viewpoints viewing the game of The natural environment where the scenes take
chess), alluding to their attribute of courtly love dia- place could be described as a garden or humanized
logue60. Some small barn owls are also visible; these forest: we can observe two types of plants and trees
were considered to be birds of wisdom, like the owl,
due to their ability to see in the dark. Saint Isidore
believed them to be lazy, and in the book of Calila
e Dimna there are two passages in which a crow at-
tacks an owl, calling it false and deceptive (volume 59. LLULL, R. 2000, Op. cit. p.151.
LI, chapter VI). Two herons can be seen next to the 60. BORLAND, J. 2008 Op. cit, p. 314: “...suggesting that the Lady
is not only the object of male desire, but also wise at the game of
running water that comes out of the main fountain courtly love that transcends the ceilings.”
of the northern vault, (one walking on the water,
61. Both the falcon and the kestrel were falconry birds used in the
the other taking flight); this bird represented the Middle Ages by Muslims, whereas Christians preferred the gos-
greatest thrill when practising falconry because it hawk.
CUADERNOS DE LA ALHAMBRA I núm. 49 I 2020 I págs. 315-330328 CARMEN RALLO GRUSS
IL. 9. Lucía Rivas. A hawk hunting a pigeon (north vault)(2020). APAG.
that surround the palaces: wild and cultivated, but Following this examination of the flora and fauna
all full of flowers. The way that they are portrayed painted on the ceilings of everlasting Paradise it is
is very similar to other miniatures seen in Islamic important to highlight several significant details
tradition, with each element individualised (stem, that the master builder, with great naturalism, used
leaves and flowers), as observed in the Bayad wa Ri- to express suggestions of another religious meta-
yad or in the paintings of the small El Partal house, phor. Everywhere, the trees and smaller plants are
which are very different from those that appear in covered in flowers; chicks can be observed in the
the Christian Crónica Troyana (Trojan Chronicle) at birds’ nests (Il. 10); among the mammals, the deer
El Escorial. Ibn al-Khatib, in his text Al-Lamba al-ba- is depicted growing stumps having shed its antlers
driyya, describes the plants that existed in Granada:
«The land of Granada is in such excellent
condition that at no time of the year does it
lack sown fields or plants.... in its mountains
and ravines are broomrape, spikenard and 62. IBN AL-JATIB 1998, Op. cit.
gentian; in its garden there is cardamom.... 63. CASARES, M. from the Department of Botany at the University
of Granada, and TITO, J. curator of the Botanical Garden of the
There are palm trees»62.
UGR: “In the Sala de los Reyes, next to the Patio de los Leones,
some paintings show the Nasrid sultans next to blossoming myrt-
Studies on the flora of the Alhambra have indicated le branches. It was not the myrtle that today forms the hedges of
the Arrayanes courtyard, but a plant with dense, curled up leaves,
that the most common plant was Moorish myrtle63, arranged in threes, and much larger than those we are used to see-
which disappeared but is now recovering, and is ing in the ornamental spaces of Alhambra and the city of Granada.
representative of the aromatic plants that the peo- Arab agronomists and 16th century botanists stated that this plant
formed large masses of shrubs (Myrtus communis baetica), digital
ple of Granada were so keen on. It appears in these resource at https://www.ideal.es/granada/201506/24/aroma-re-
paintings, in bloom. yes-20150622003604-v.html
CUADERNOS DE LA ALHAMBRA I núm. 49 I 2020 I págs. 315-330THE PAINTED GARDEN: THE PAINTINGS IN THE SALA DE LOS REYES OF THE PATIO DE LOS LEONES 329
of Nazarite sultans has gathered? Returning to the
Qur’an, this text gives us the key. In Sura 64:9 it
says:
«On the day He gathers you together for the
day of Gathering. Then, those who believe
in God and do good, He will absolve them
of their sins and admit them into gardens
under which streams flow, where they will
stay forever. That is the ultimate triumph!».
Earthly paradise, Paradise promised for the gathe-
ring of the monarchs of Granada, a glorification of
their lineage, blessed by Allah to be inhabitants of
the ‘Happy garden’, the ‘Gardens of Eden’, the ‘Gar-
dens of Delights’65.
But, in addition, it is important to remember that
the Granada monarchs, in clear legitimization
of their power, claimed descent from the tribe of
the Ansar, the companions and protectors of the
IL. 10. Lucía Rivas. Doves’ nest with two chicks. Next to it: Moo- Prophet, seeking a link between the terms ‘Ansar’
rish myrtle in bloom. (north vault) (2020). APAG. and ‘Nasr’66. The Qur’an dedicates a Sura to them
(9:100):
«…the first of the emigrants and the helpers
(ansar) and those who followed them in
good works. God will be pleased with them
and they will be pleased with Him and He
has prepared for them gardens with streams
of water, there they will abide forever, that is
their great triumph».
A further note: it was possible to access the Rauda,
the royal cemetery, directly from the Patio de los
IL. 11. Lucía Rivas. Deer with shedded antlers (south vault). Pa-
tronato de la Alhambra y Generalife (2020). APAG.
(Il. 11), while the bear is awake64. All these elements 64. I am grateful for the help of Ana Rallo Gruss, Professor of Bio-
can be explained in terms of time; they are allu- logy of the Basque Country, for her wise suggestions.
ding to spring, when birds breed, bears awaken, 65. Paradise appears in the Qur’an under these names: ‘Gardens
of Eden’ (9:72, 13:23, 16:31, 18:31, 19:61, 20:76, 36:33, 38:50, 40:8,
deer grow new antlers and fragrant flowers bloom
61:12, 98:8); ‘Gardens of Delight’ (6:65, 10:9, 22:56, 31:8, 36:43,
everywhere: Spring, Paradise, Rebirth, Resurrec- 56:12; 68: 34).
tion, Creation, the Garden of Eden. 66. IBN AL-JATIB (1998), op. cit, p. 25: “Art. 3-On the lineage and
successors of the Nasrid dynasty. The lineage of these men can
If the side vaults of the Cuarto de los Reyes repre- be traced back to Sa’d b Ubada, lord of the Defenders (Ansar) of
the Messenger of God, may Allah bless and save him and they are
sent Paradise, how does their symbolic interpreta- known by the name of Ben Nasr.” He even goes so far as to link the
tion link up with the central vault, where the line Ansar to Abraham.
CUADERNOS DE LA ALHAMBRA I núm. 49 I 2020 I págs. 315-330330 CARMEN RALLO GRUSS
Leones, coincidentally using a door that led to the «Copious rain waters his grave and vivifies
vestibule of the Sala de los Reyes. The tombs of Mu- him, Paradise, its aromatic fragrance gives
hammad II, Ismail I, Yusuf I and Yusuf III67 were him/ Rest and myrtle is what contains his
found there in 1574; only those of Muhammad II tomb, reward and [divine] forgiveness occu-
and Yusuf III have been passed down to us today. py this his abode./ Pleased God, in the Gar-
Ibn al-Khatib compiled the royal epitaphs (except dens of Delight he put him»70.
that of the last sultan mentioned above), and all
were related to quotes from the Qur’an about the In conclusion, the formal aspects of the paintings
Garden of Paradise. With two texts each, in the vaults of the Cuarto de los Leones, which are
currently in their very best state after careful resto-
«on one hand, one in prose in praise of the ration, can be understood if you look in their icono-
person and recalling his lineage and certain graphic sources for models of a formal symbiosis
significant episodes of his life, plus the dates of Christian and Muslim roots, while the creation
of birth and death, and on the other hand, of the decorative programme was the intentional
the other in verse»»68. result of royal patronage71, with a representation of
the lineage of Muhammad V framed by the pain-
Ibn al-Khatib himself wrote Yusuf I’s eulogy, ha- ted Garden, Paradise promised by Mohammed, the
ving worked for the sultan until he was assassina- Qur’anic destiny of his faithful. They represent a
ted during Ramadan in the Great Mosque of the unique example of the most emblematic group of
Alhambra, identifying the sultan with the garden of paintings at the Alhambra, a successful and bri-
Paradise: «You are not a tomb but a garden, sweete- lliant finale to the Happy Garden Palace complex.
ned with aromatic plants…», beginning by descri-
bing him as, «Myrtle and salutary rest in the grave»,
and mentioning his illustrious genealogy «...pole of
intelligence and modesty, descendant of the lord of
the Ansar, defender of the territory of Islam...»
His successor in the office of vizier, Ibn Zamrak,
also a poet, is the author of an eulogy dedicated to 67. DE MÁRMOL CARVAJAL, L. Historia de la rebelión y del castigo
de los moriscos del reino de Granada, Málaga, 1600 (reed. Madrid,
Muhammad V that was recited at his burial (his 1992), chapters 7 and 11.
tombstone, which has disappeared, may have been
68. PUERTA VILCHEZ, J.M. La construcción poética de la Alham-
engraved with it): bra. Revista de poética medieval 27, 2013, pp. 263-285. The author
sets out the lexicological reasoning behind the term ‘rauda’, which
in the Qur’an is precisely related to the Day of Judgement, the
«In the shadow of Paradise you shall remain
Resurrection and the promised Garden, a place where water and
eternally and in immortality your descen- plants gather, and it is semantically associated with ‘auda’, grave
dants shall live,/ the Compassionate one, (burial), concavity or irrigated garden flowerbed. There is therefo-
re a confluence of meanings between the grave and the promised
water from the grave of his Prophet shall garden with water, plant life, shady spots and eternal bliss. Also
lead to you, just as the greatest fountain was PUERTA VÍLCHEZ, J. M. La Alhambra como lugar paradisíaco en
given to the one you succeeded»69. el imaginario árabe. Boletín de Arte-UMA 38. University of Málaga,
2017, pp. 45-60.
In the same eulogy he mentions the aromatic 69. Diwan by Ibn Zamrak, p. 388 (vv. 36 and 37). Apud PUERTA
VILCHEZ, J. M. Ib, 2013, p.283.
plants, flowers, greenery of the garden, and the
70. LAFUENTE y ALCÁNTARA, E. Inscripciones árabes de Granada,
houris of the promised Paradise: an eschatological
precedidas de una reseña histórica y de la genealogía detallada de los
image linked to water, eternity and the sexual plea- reyes Alahmares. Madrid Imprenta Nacional, 1859reed. by RUBIE-
sure of the blessed. RA MATA, Mª J. Granada: Universidad de Granada, 2000, p. 159.
71. In this regard, ECHEVARRIA, A. (2008) Opus Cit: “Royal patro-
In the anonymous epitaph of Yusuf III (in the Al- nage, literary habits and iconographic tradition would all certainly
have been taken into account in the conception of the ornamental
hambra Museum) the same references to the Eden program of the three vaults. References to frontier romances, lite-
of the Qur’an appear: rary figures, chivalric deeds and legends...”
CUADERNOS DE LA ALHAMBRA I núm. 49 I 2020 I págs. 315-330You can also read
