ProvenioArt Intelligence
Sign InExplore
nasrid granadanasrid granada

Alhambra — Court of the Lions (Patio de los Leones, c. 1370–1391 CE)

The Court of the Lions (Patio de los Leones) in the Alhambra Palace, Granada, c. 1370–1391 CE, built under Sultan Muhammad V of the Nasrid dynasty. The paradigmatic example of Nasrid Islamic architecture: a rectangular courtyard with a central alabaster fountain supported by 12 marble lions, surrounded by porticos with slender marble columns and elaborate muqarnas-corbelled arches, and the two pavilion halls (Hall of Two Sisters and Hall of Abencerrajes) on the north-south axis.

Scholarly Significance

Anchor Nasrid architectural vocabulary with the Alhambra Court of the Lions — the paradigmatic example of Islamic geometric architecture, muqarnas, and water symbolism.

Notes

  • ·The Court of the Lions was built by Muhammad V (r.1354–1359, 1362–1391) as the private royal residence within the Alhambra complex; it was separated from the governmental section (Comares) by the Golden Gate.
  • ·The central fountain — the Lion Fountain — consists of a circular alabaster basin supported by 12 white marble lions, with channels of water flowing from the fountain along the floor in four directions (the four rivers of paradise). The lions are among the most discussed objects in Spanish-Islamic art: stylistically eclectic (possibly re-used from an earlier context), they are naturalistic by Nasrid standards.
  • ·The 124 marble columns with capitals are arranged in groupings of 2, 3, and 4, with double-row arch formations creating the effect of a palm grove. The stucco arches above are covered in dense vegetal arabesque and Quranic inscriptions.
  • ·Poems by the court poet Ibn Zamrak are inscribed in the stucco around the fountain and the pavilion arches; the poem at the fountain describes the water as 'melting silver' and the lions as 'guards at the holy palace'.
  • ·The Court of the Lions is the most widely reproduced and analyzed monument of Nasrid-Andalusian architecture. It has been interpreted as a representation of the Garden of Paradise, a royal throne room, and a symbol of Nasrid sovereignty.
  • ·A major restoration of the lion fountain was completed 2011–2012; the lions now have the water channels properly functioning.