282 Apuntes del Alcázar de Sevilla
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nglish
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The structure is supported by six large beams or girders embedded
in the wall and acting as supporting elements of the composition
shoring up directly on the north and south walls —two of them have
metal plates to reinforce that link on the north side—.
Only four out of the six beams are decorated matching those with
the original naming. The ones to the east and west sides are
em-
planchadas
with original polychrome planks on their vertical faces
and new planks on their inferior surfaces. Another six more minor
beams (jaldetas) are perpendicularly arranged on top of these main
beams (jácenas), forming a structure of twenty rectangles, repeating
the same arrangement except for the central panel.
Each rectangular unit consists of four joists parallel to the main
beams, which in turn are perpendicularly met by ring beams, four of
them simple and six have
menado
works
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, facing each other and pro-
ducing a sequence of nine
tails
and stars decorated with gold leaf and
separated by gilded
verdugos
. For its part, the centre has an
ataujerado
pane with lacing ornamentation, centred by an octagon fromwhich a
cluster of honeycomb work hangs, becoming the geometric centre of
the composition. Apart from this, the crossing of the lacing generates
azafates
patterns, candilejos, and four sinos in the corners that frame
four suns, the emblem of the Solis family. The whole base of this table
is covered with gold leaf and topped with menada lacing.
This load of Mudejar decorative motifs present at reticulated areas
coexists with other ornamentation of the alfarje distributed along
the rest of its elements: main beams, minor beams, ring beams and
risers of all kinds. In these pieces, the decoration focuses on the Re-
naissance repertoire, allowing a difference between series of grotto
motifs and candelieri that run longitudinally, and some heralds be-
coming the most significant details of the composition.
Structurally speaking, very similar Alfarjes can be found in the Palacio
de la Algaba, Palacio de las Dueñas and the Casa Pilatos, among others
(see the drawing by Enrique Nuere, the orientation of the upper planks
of the
menado
work is simply modified to accommodate our alfarje).
Giving a new use to the piece involved a series of changes caused by
the search for a constructive solution that allowed a difference of
about 60cm to 1m in length greater than in its original location on its
east-west section. This difference caused the search of those centi-
metres using resources such as increasing the separation of the sec-
tions
28
of their wood mouldings at girders-level, placing a wooden
emplanchado
in the inferior surface of the beams neighbouring the
east and west walls, which should not be visible in theory; placing
perimeter mouldings around each lattice and in the upper run of
girders and thick partitions, and grafting on the sides of the thick
partitions to cover the resulting space due to the expansion
29
.
Figure 12. Mitred mouldings on the perimeter of the reticule formed
by the minor beams and the risers. We can see how the joist has a
polychrome ornamentation on the side facing the wall surface, and
how it has the coupling mark or slot of a riser, so it is not placed in
its original location.
The pictorial coatings
Main beams became the largest supports of the painting, although
they were also the worst preserved parts due to their exposure. The
same sequence of stipites separated by Solomon knots appear on the
underside or inferior surface of the six examples. The edges offer
varied solutions with plant grotto motifs, candelieri, or pairs of grif-
fins, which are repeated in pairs on each beam from a central
tondo
.
This element shows the Solis family shield and two pairs of portraits.
This arrangement is repeated in the risers that hide the junctions be-
tween the alfarje beams. Tondos showing the monogram of Christ
can be seen on the minor beams, while the main beams, which act
as abutment to the walls, have portraits of different characters and
again the Solis emblem.
Regarding the grotto motifs, it is quite interesting the taste on
choosing them as early, which says a lot about the personality of the
patron and the workshop in charge of the composition. They are a
recurring theme during the first Hispanic Renaissance and they can
be found in the palaces of Gogolludo (Guadalajara), the Hospital de
Santa Cruz in Valladolid or at the Calahorra in Granada. All of them
were produced during the first decade of the sixteenth century, con-
temporary to the Gomez de Solis household. The schemes were not
random, but followed Italian models that came to the workshops
in sketchbooks brought by Italian Renaissance artists. The most sig-
nificant case is the Codex Escurialensis, used in some of the icono-
graphic repertoires referred to above, of which the roof has several
models (drawing 38, which depicts a pair of angels flanking a tondo,
or drawing 52, in which the model is repeated with pairs of griffins).
It is striking the presence of portraits, which certainly have a specific
meaning. In total we have retained eight of them, two of which seem
to depict female images while the rest would be gentlemen. They
are excellent quality paintings, drawn from a winding line, in which
some details show a link to the paintings of Flemish influence, both
because of their details and the melancholy of some faces. The
characters are framed in a tondo that simulates a circular wreath;
they are dressed in the fashion of the moment and wear jewellery
showing the high position acquired by the Solis family. Among their
clothes, the variety of headdresses stand out, especially their winged
hats and bonnets, hats and
almaizares
or turbans, which again indi-
cate the contamination of Oriental and European styles that could
be observed in the Castilian nobility.
When establishing a meaning for these figures, one must take into
account that some of them are not preserved, and we are not sure
whether the rest are kept exactly like they were originally. We believe
that the best approach is to identify the figures with the members
of the Solis-Esquivel family, who became the protagonists of virtue,
power and wealth of the family.
All this follows a pattern that has to do with behaviour models that
justify the belonging of the family to the Sevillian high aristocracy.
Its origin is based on the military principle of the patriarch, from
which service he earned privileges from the crown that allowed him
to amass a huge heritage. From this premise, a message that has to
do with the behavioural model of the good knight developed, based
on their war, courtesans, intellectuals and Christian qualities. Some-
how all of them are represented in the examples that have reached
us: the first one features a masculine portrait of a soldier who wears
a gala helmet and looking up. A part of his armour gorget with gold-
en rivets is also shown in the composition. Regarding his amorous
capabilities, two couples appear facing each other, perhaps portray-
ing the Commander marriages. With regards to his Christian com-
mitment, the monogram of Christ is evident throughout the alfarje;
and finally, on the ability to understand, some male portraits appear
at different ages which may allude to the level of maturity of the
character.
