Finds

The Azulejos

The Sant’Eulalia site also certified to a small number of examples of azulejos, or rejoles, that is majolica or simple painted terracotta tiles, used in floors or wall decorations: one find shows the decorative “compass rose” pattern (fig. 1), a second has plant elements and straight lines (fig. 2) on its surface.

1
Fig. 1 - Azulejo with “compass rose” decoration from S. Eulalia (photo by Unicity S.p.A.).
2
Fig. 2 - Azulejo with plant pattern (photo by Unicity S.p.A.).

The first tile has a circular yellow medallion in its centre enclosing a star or compass rose with golden pearls amongst its petals; there are four wave patterns in the corners.

The example dates at the end of the XVI- beginning of the XVII century and probably comes from Catalan workshops; it has close comparisons with another two Cagliari finds, that is in Vico III Lanusei (fig. 3) and in Via Cavour (fig. 4).

The second item seems to belong to a "Renaissance” decorative style due to its floral pattern.

3
Fig. 3 - Fragment of azulejo from Vico III Lanusei (from CARTA 2006, p. 235, fig. 152).
4
Fig. 4 - Azulejo from Via Cavour (from PORCELLA, SALVI 1994, p. 163, Tab. I,1).

The azulejos were created in Spain in the XIII century as an imitation of the Arab alicatados and were brought to Sardinia by the Catalan - Aragonese.

 

Bibliografia

  • G. BALLARDINI, s.v. Azulejo, in Enciclopedia Italiana. Disponibile su: http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/azulejo (Enciclopedia-Italiana)/ [26/10/2014].
  • R. CARTA, Mattonelle maiolicate, in R. MARTORELLI, D. MUREDDU (a cura di), Archeologia urbana a Cagliari. Scavi in Vico III Lanusei (1996-1997), Cagliari 2006, pp. 234-235.
  • M. DADEA, F. PORCELLA, Mattonelle maiolicate in Sardegna (secc. XV-XIX), in Archeologia postmedievale. Società, ambiente, produzione, I, 1997, pp. 267-284.
  • M. DADEA, F. PORCELLA, Le ceramiche spagnole in Sardegna: transazioni commerciali e imitazioni locali, in Penisola Iberica e Italia: rapporti e influenze nella produzione ceramica dal Medioevo al XVII secolo. Atti del XXXI Convegno Internazionale della ceramica (Albisola, 29-31 maggio 1998), Firenze 1999, pp. 317-331.
  • F. PORCELLA, D. SALVI, La ceramica postmedievale in Sardegna: indicazioni documentali e primi riscontri materiali, in La ceramica postmedievale in Italia. Il contributo dell’archeologia. Atti del XXVII Convegno Internazionale della ceramica (Albisola, 27-29 maggio 1994), Firenze 1994, pp. 153-165.

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