|
After crossing the gallery of the entrance, you can find the Room of the Mosaics, a place full of baroque style. It was built in the XVIII century, in the northern part of the Alcazar, on the vaults of the Royal Baths. In the past it was the Inquisition chapel then it was the prison chapel. The room is a rectangular plan room, covered with archs and geometrical motives, typical in that age. At the bottom there is a squared place with vaults of roman archs, this is ended by a lantern, decorated with geometrical motives and balls (like in he Muslim Period). Its walls are full of mosaics.
The most important are: the mosaic of the ocean. It represents Uranus ‘son and Gea, waters’ god. It‘s represented in the middle of the composition surrounded by marine beings, showing all their expressive strength. They are like giants with eyelash and cheek covered with escamas. At the same time there are dolphins coming out of a thick beard.
The biggest mosaic is the one situated above the entrance on the link side of the room. It has decorations with dolphins and geometrical dolphins. There is another one representing a theatrical mime.
The author tried to give deepness to this mosaic. The mime tries to imitate to a person with his mask and stick.
On the right there is an incomplete mosaic representing the four seasons. It has also a main plot referring to the story of Psique and Cupido trying to hug.
Finally, the most of all the mosaic is Poliphemus and Galatea. This mosaic inspired the cordovan compositor Luis de Gongora: oh beautiful Galatea, softer than the carnations that the dawn broke, white
Like the feather of that bird that sweet dies and in the water stays like the bird with blue feathers and admires the sky full of stars and you are one of them!
¡Oh bella Galatea, más suave
que los claveles que tronchó la Aurora;
blanca más que las plumas de aquel ave
que dulce muere y en la aguas mora;
igual en pompa al pájaro que, grave,
su manto azul de tantos ojos dora
cuantas el celestial zafiro estrellas.
¡Oh tú que en dos incluyes las más bellas!
Without any doubt this poem describes the mosaic properly. Galatea is on the waters and Poliphemus is on a rock. The bottom of the mosaic has a rocky landscape.
|