ALHAMBRA SILVER DOMED CASKET

AN ELECTROPLATE ALHAMBRA MODEL SILVER CASKET BOX BY RAFAEL CONTRERAS, SIGNED: R. CONTRERAS E HIJO - ALHAMBRA GRANADA, GRANADA SPAIN, 19TH CENTURY
Stock number: 1213

Of rectangular form, the exquisite domed casket crafted with silver plating over copper and finished with brass details at the base, surface carved with a muqarnas frieze along the edge, featuring intricate palmette motifs and geometric designs with calligraphic cartouches and Arabic inscriptions of the Nasrid motto ‘Wa la ghalib ila Ala’ (‘There is no conqueror but God’); the interior partially lined with red velvet.

Measures: 17.8cm tall by 23cm long by 12.7cm

The design on the present casket resembles that along the walls of the interior courtyard of the golden room of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, the epitome of Nasrid patronage in Spain between 1232 and 1492.

In the 19th century, the Orientalist movement sparked a renewed interest in Islamic history and the Alhambra became a popular subject for intricately crafted and modelled souvenir maquettes.

Rafael Contreras (1826-1890) was part of a family of craftsmen involved in the restoration of the Alhambra at this period. He was appointed as the official restorer of the Alhambra by Queen Isabel II in 1847. Contreras founded a workshop dedicated to crafting and distributing replicas of the stunning architectural and decorative features of the Alhambra. His miniature architectural models are still regarded as high-end souvenirs and accurate models that continue to be admired today.

Works by the same maker can be found in various museums, including at the Victoria and Albert Museum (accession REPRO.1890-52), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (accession 86.15.4), and the Francesco Borgogna Museum (inv. 1906, V, 114-115).

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