A 1500s spiral or twisted column topped by a water spout adds a splash of Baroque whimsy to the Moorish Pátio Central, a courtyard built in the early-1400s by King John I at the heart of the royal apartments in the National Palace at Sintra, near Lisbon, Portugal. Big-eyed marble figures sitting holding heraldic shields are sculpted in a style heralding early-1900s Modernism.
Sintra, Lisbon region, Portugal: a 16th century Solomonic or twisted column offers a whimsical Baroque contrast to the early-15th century Moorish or Mudéjar design of the Pátio Central in the Palácio Nacional de Sintra, the Portuguese court’s upland retreat from the summer heat of nearby Lisbon. Above the column’s spiralling shafts and below a central water spout, the wide-eyed naked human figures who sit holding crowned coats of arms are sculpted in marble in a style that seems like an early prototype for 20th century Modernism. The green-tiled courtyard and the chambers surrounding it were built by Dom João I or King John I of Portugal (1357-1433), who married Philippa of Lancaster, elder sister of England’s King Henry IV. After her death in 1415, he began a major programme of building works at Sintra designed to enlarge the palace and to make it seem more regal. The royal apartments are today known as the Ala Joanina or João’s Wing. Building the Pátio Central enabled the king to access the various sections of the palace without having to use any interior passageways.
Size: 7360px × 4912px
Location: Palácio Nacional de Sintra, Sintra, Lisbon region, Portugal.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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