Plate XIX, Hall of the Two Sisters

Category

Library Item

Item no

30813

Title

Plate XIX, Hall of the Two Sisters

Description

In the 'Hall of the two sisters' black and white drawing there are two men and a child in the depicted.

Artist / maker

Jones, Owen

Date

1844

Size

45.0 x 31.0 cm

Type

Lithograph

Location

Art and Design Library

A few illustrations in the Grammar of Ornament are in black and white and they usually have some people depicted. Despite Jones's ambition to represent the Alhambra with scientific accuracy, the inclusion of people wearing Islamic clothing indicates the strength of the Romantic trends, which tended to represent things more exotically than they actually were. Perhaps this was an attempt to show how life at the Alhambra was when the Moors still lived there. As represented here, Islamic art has plenty of inscriptions, as Islamic religion forbids any representation of human or animal figures. They developed a system of ornamental writing much admired by Jones. One of the most repeated motto is 'There is no conqueror by God'. His proposition no. 13 states: 'Flowers or other natural objects should not be used as ornaments'.

(Jones set out thirty-seven propositions or general principals in the Grammar of Ornament which aimed to improve the general artistic standards through mass education. Find out more about Owen Jones and his design aesthetic and ideals from the Victoria and Albert Museum.)

All illustrations in this volume are attributed to Jones and his sometime travelling partner Jules Goury, a Welsh architect who died of Cholera during their six month stay at The Alhambra.

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Related subjects

Architecture > Architectural features > Arches

Clothing and dress > Accessories > Turbans

Clothing and dress > Garments > Capes

Clothing and dress > Garments > Robes

Furnishings > Ornamentation > Decorations

Furnishings > Ornamentation > Designs

Furnishings > Ornamentation > Patterns

People > Adults > Men

People > Children > Boys

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