Wall painting in al-Andalus. Precedents and comparative study

Abstract

Except for some isolated approaches, the origin of the wall painting technique in al-Andalus had not been subject of study until now. In this work, the use of the analysis techniques provided data contributing to its knowledge, origins and influences. These data also helped to clarify, to the extent possible, in what they consisted of, from the point of view of both the constitutive materials and the execution technique. To do so, very significant examples were selected: first, from paintings which can be considered linked to the origins of the technique (Hispano-Roman and Late-Antique paintings, and Umayyad paintings from Qusayr’Amra, Jordania); secondly, from other paintings corresponding to the first period of Muslim occupation in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically, from the Emirate and Caliphate periods (Cordoba, Madīnat Ilbīra, Madīnat al-Zahrā and Arrabales de Poniente). The results obtained led to the conclusion that the influences of the eastern wall painting are evident, as evidenced by the presence of straw in mortars and the use of gum Arabic. Nevertheless, the persistence of the classic tradition is undeniable.