ANTIQUE DECORATIVE PLATE
11.11.2011., petak
HOME DECORATING COLOR TRENDS - COLOR TRENDS
Home Decorating Color Trends - Interior Decorated Rooms Home Decorating Color Trends
Coloured tiles of the Alhambra In many rooms inside the Alhambra small tiles of many colours can be seen decorating the walls. There are tiles of gold and green, orange and blue, silver and bronze, black and white and every colour in-between. All these hundreds of tiny stones are fixed in intricate and exquisite patterns which gracefully lead your eye to the stucco walls further up. It must have taken many skilled man hours to create such wonderful decorations in this large building. These small tiles can still be found in lots of homes and patios in Spain, especially in Andalusia, although the trend for small tiled work appears to be diminishing. Once again I shall refer to the words of Irving Washington and his 'Tales of the Alhambra' (a very interesting read if you have been to the Alhambra): "The lower part of the walls in the saloons, to the height of several feet, is incrusted with glazed tiles, joined like the plates of stucco-work, so as to form various patterns. On some of them are emblazoned the escutcheons of the Moslem kings, traversed with a band and motto. These glazed tiles (azulejos in Spanish, az-zulaj in Arabic) are of Oriental origin; their coolness, cleanliness, and freedom from vermin, render them admirably fitted in sultry climates for paving halls and fountains, incrusting bathing rooms, and lining the walls of chambers. Ford is inclined to give them great antiquity. From their prevailing colors, sapphire and blue, he deduces that they may have formed the kind of pavements alluded to in the sacred Scriptures--"There was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone" (Exod. xxiv. 10); and again, "Behold I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires." (Isaiah liv. 11.) These glazed or porcelain tiles were introduced into Spain at an early date by the Moslems. Some are to be seen among the Moorish ruins which have been there upwards of eight centuries. Manufactures of them still exist in the peninsula, and they are much used in the best Spanish houses, especially in the southern provinces, for paving and lining the summer apartments. The Spaniards introduced them into the Netherlands when they had possession of that country. The people of Holland adopted them with avidity, as wonderfully suited to their passion for household cleanliness; and thus these Oriental inventions, the azulejos of the Spanish, the az-zulaj of the Arabs, have come to be commonly known as Dutch tiles." For this image I have not used any textures, and the colours are untouched and pretty much as they are in the Alhambra. I hope you like it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ View large on black ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Taken with a Sony a300 and the Sony 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 Kit Lens. 1/130 sec • f/5.6 • ISO 200 La-Z-Boy Hamilton Loveseat The trend forecast says the definition of neutral is changing. Usually made up of browns, blacks and blues, the typical palette is shifting in home decor. Gray has become a staple neutral in the last year, and close behind is purple, which has traditionally been considered only for accents. Design buffs say that purple is making its way into mainstream decorating. See also: new orleans saints home decor bathroom decorative tile beach theme cake decorations mediterranean decor beach decoration personalized kids room decor christmas cake decorations ideas decorating ideas for new years eve decor curtain table decorations for party |