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](/images/romano/eulalia/image143.png)
![2](/images/romano/eulalia/image144.png)
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](/images/romano/eulalia/image145.png)
![4](/images/romano/eulalia/image146.jpg)
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.