This page was created by Vedanth Natarajan. The last update was by Amanda Luyster.
When was the Spanish Ceiling made?
The Spanish Ceiling currently exhibited in the Worcester Art Museum was constructed during the 15th-century in Spain in the region of the great cities of Granada, Toledo, and Seville. The ceiling originated from a palace in Illescas, Spain, a city located between Madrid and Toledo. The region was later ruled by and connected to the Hapsburgs, Dona Leonora of Austria, and Francis I of France. The artistic and architectural nature of the Spanish Ceiling as well as the materials used in its construction is characteristic of Mudéjar architecture. Mudéjar refers to Muslims who remained in the Christian territory after the Reconquest of Spain by Christian forces. This historical context provides insight into the unique blend of Islamic and Christian designs ornamenting the ceiling due to the intermixing of peoples and cultures. The Mudéjar style of architecture had a strong influence in the broader regions of Castle-Leon, surrounding the city of Illescas, from the 13th to 16th centuries.