The Spanish Period

The Spanish period took place in the 16th Century and it was the most brilliant era in Spanish history. They were influenced by the Moorish, Early Christian, Medieval, and Italian Renaissance. The Spanish definitely showed beautiful architecture and decoration. They used numerous courtyards with gardens, fountains and reflection pools.

For example, shown below is a fountain and reflecting pool at the Alhambra. 

 

Castles were built during this era by noble Christian families. There were more castles in Spain then in any other European country. They were built of concrete walls and faced with brick. La Mota Castle was one they built during the Spanish period.

La Mota Castle

Also, massive cathedrals were built during this period. One of the largest is Cathedral of Seville which is the largest cathedral in the world. It is located in Seville-Andalusia Spain and is Gothic style. This cathedral really demonstrates the cities wealth. It's so large that is has 80 chapels inside of it and holds 500 masses daily.

Cathedral of Seville

Two of the Spanish Renaissance styles were Plateresco and Desornamentado. The Plateresco Phase which is the silversmith's style. Its minute and delicate ornament resembles the work of a silversmith. The second is Desornamentado Phase which is unornamented. It's a powerful style characterized by austerity.

A common furniture piece you would have often seen during the Spanish period were chairs. They were the favorite and most characteristic of Spanish Renaissance. The monk's chair was called the Sillon de Frailero. It's a walnut armchair that consist of a leather seat and back. 

Sillon de Frailero

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Discussion:

I first reviewed Megan S's blog. Since she did her presentation on Spanish, her blog was very detailed and explained a lot of the Spanish style. I thought she covered the important aspects of the Spanish period. It was easy to follow and I learned a lot in just a short blog. I also reviewed Ali's blog. I loved how she showed more of the Spanish style interiors. I noticed how common tiles are used in the Spanish period. She showed some very fun, detailed and colorful tile work.