277
Sample collection
regarding the global vision marked by the Value Chain, and al-
though the intervention did not include restoration, the Board
of Trustees approved the proposal of performing a sample col-
lection before carrying out the whitewashing of the gallery. This
way, we obtained a study which could help foretell and plan a
possible future restoration. The restorer Maribel Baceiredo and
professional technicians of the
Instituto de Ciencias Materiales de
Sevilla
(Institute of Materials Science) of the
Consejo Superior de
Investigaciones Científicas
(Spanish National Research Council)
and of the
Universidad de Sevilla
collaborated in carrying out this
study.20
The intradoses of the gallery arches keep remains of mural paint-
ings, either original or later repainting which copy the original
ones. Also, samplings were taken in different points of the inte-
rior of the gallery in order to verify if the pictorial cycle continued
to the interior. Some results were revealing, showing paintings
either in the jambs closing the arches or in the lintel and jambs of
the holes leading to the balconies. As well, the use of white stucco
inside the gallery was confirmed, restricting the decoration to the
arch intradoses, lateral jambs and balcony holes, that is to say,
what could be seen from the gardens.
On the other hand, the deterioration state of the columns was
also relevant. They had chippings and loosening in some cases.
The presence of a dark layer of dirt running to the bottom of the
columns could already be seen in the pictures of the interven-
tion of 1991 performed by José María Cabeza. The analysis of the
samples taken demonstrates it is a mortar composed by gypsum
and protein compounds that should be removed in a future res-
toration.
5. CONCLUSION
Once the framework replacement and the uncovered passage
readjustment were finished, the
Galería del Grutesco
becomes
accessible for the visitors, just as it was conceived by Vermondo
Resta and described by Rodrigo Caro in 1634: as a walk divided
into two floors from which it was possible to see and enjoy the
beauty of the
Alcázar
gardens and the landscape of Seville —fig-
ure 24—.
This drawn overview gets extended in one of the proposals made
by the Special Plan of Protection, which plans the recovery of the
allures of the wall in order to emphasize the palatial defense sys-
tem (action 4). This is linked to the object exposed in the Value
Chain about, whenever it is possible, increase the dissemination
and collectivization of the patrimonial element. In this case, we
are talking about the opening of the half of the covered passage
that was close and of the whole uncovered passage of the
Galería
del Grutesco
. It can also work as a catalyst, if it is possible in the
future and starting from the upper floor of the
Puerta de March-
ena
, to complete the recovery of the allures of the part of the wall
arriving until the Cuarto del Sol and goes through the Northern
Viewpoint of the
Estanque de Mercurio
and through the terraces
of the
Palacio Gótico
.
Technical file
CONSTRUCTION DEVELOPER: Board of Trustees of the
Real Al-
cázar
and of the
Casa Consistorial
(Town Hall) of Seville
AUTHOR OF THE PROJECT AND SITE MANAGER: Almudena
Muñoz García and Alberto Atanasio Guisado, Architects
PROJECT EXECUTION MANAGER AND COORDINADOR DE
SEGURIDAD Y SALUD (HSE OFFICER): Jesús Ramiro Guzmán,
Technical Architect
COLLABORATORS:
Ignacio Amián del Pino, pictures
Estudio Duarte y asociados, structural calculation
Yaserra agencia comercial y proyectos, lighting
AWARDED COMPANY: Arcobeltia
figures
Figure 1. Location of the
Galería
in the
Real Alcázar
Figure 2. Part of the
Alcázar
in Olavide’s plan, 1771
Figure 3.
Recinto IV
in the Special Protection Plan
Figure 4. In white, proposal for the opening to traffic from the Ac-
tion number 4 of the Special Protection Plan. In orange, the
Galería
del Grutesco
Figure 5. Lithograph by F. J. Parcerisa from the
Jardín de las Damas
, in
his work
Recuerdos y Bellezas de España,
1856
Figure 6. Southern wall of the
Jardín de Troya
Figure 7.
Estanque de Mercurio
, with the eastern façade and the Low-
er Arbour and the Upper Viewpoint in the north
Figure 8. Part of the
opus rusticum
Figure 9a. Guesdon’s engraving with an aerial view of Seville, in
which we can see how the
Galería del Grutesco
crosses the Jardines
del
Alcázar
, 1852-1865
Figure 9b. Plan of the
Alcázar
of Seville and its gardens by J. Fernán-
dez, 1872. The gardens are the
Jardín de la Alcoba
and the eastern part
of the
Grutesco
, the rest was still vegetable gardens
Figure 9c. Plan of the
Alcázar
’s gardens by José Gómez Millán, 1916.
By this year, the vegetable gardens had been replaced by gardens
Figure 9d.Plan of the
Alcázar
’s “
Jardines Antiguos
” by Gromort, with
an interesting section of the
Galería del Grutesco
at the same level of
the covered passage
Figure 10. Different pictures of the condition prior to our intervention
Figure 11. Project plan with the three kinds of structure theory —
general, southern end and towers—; and part of the framework sec-
tion once the demolition works had started
