Why was the Spanish Ceiling made, and how was it used?
A ceiling is an essential part of any room, but ceilings rarely draw our attention like the Spanish Ceiling does. Roofs and ceilings provide shelter and define a space which is separate from the “outside” world. The long wooden beams of the Spanish Ceiling were also structurally important, as they could support upper floors. Many medieval buildings were designed to be seen from within: hence, decoration was focused on the floors, walls, and ceilings of rooms. These decorative elements were also concentrated on the lower floors, which were more public and utilized more frequently than the upper floors during the hot Spanish summers. This ceiling was decorated lavishly with geometric and floral ornament to suggest the wealth and power of its patrons. The ceiling functioned as a status symbol and would have impressed visitors. The intricate and elegant designs on the Spanish Ceiling would have drawn the eyes of all who gathered under it in the fifteenth century, just as it does today, more than half a millennium later.
Vedanth Natarajan, Class of 2027, College of the Holy Cross
