Fajalauza decorations evoke the horror vacui of the Nasrid style that dominated the scene from the 13th to 15th century. Atauriques, a type of ornamentation found in Nasrid architecture, specifically in the Alhambra is a perfect example of this style. It’s as tough the artists were obsessed with filling every available space.
Similarly, Fajalauza painters often fill their bowls, pitchers and plates from base to rim. Branching patterns that start from the base and spread throughout the piece. Earlier pieces found appear simpler and lighter but by the end of the 19th century, Fajalauza artisans had established the maximalist style now known as repintado.
Naturalistic Vegetal Motifs
Lilies, daisies, creeping vines adorn every surface. Some flower designs harken back to their Islamic past: oval petals interlace around a thick central point or a reticulated circle.
Mixed with the flowers, we find fruits, especially pomegranates. The pomegranate motif is especially significant as it is the city’s namesake.
The result is a feast for the eyes that makes this pottery a beloved collector’s item.
The use of small birds, butterflies, and dragonflies highlights elements of local fauna. Among the birds, peacocks, starlings and wading birds stand out. Finding small warblers hiding among the ramified patterns is always a delight.
Butterflies and dragonflies also appear in Fajalauza design.
Granada, An Enduring Symbol
According to some accounts, the Romans named the after the Latin word 'granatum,' which means pomegranate, the fruit-bearing tree abundant in the area. Others say the name is a phonetic evolution from the Arabic "Gar-anat," meaning 'hill of pilgrims.'
The pomegranate fruit may have held great value for the desert people who conquered Andalucía in the 8th century. The pomegranate tree grows well in the desert because its tough skin keeps it from drying and makes it a survival food that could be feed to caravans traveling long journeys.
Bellota Fajalauza Ceramic plate by Casa Pletórica
Granada Fajalauza Ceramic Bowl by Casa Pletórica
The use of cobalt blue
While Fajalauza painters traditionally use green and other colors for rougher, more utilitarian pieces, blue was reserved for finer items. Its arduous extraction from lapis stone made it the most expensive of the pigments available up until the mid-19th century. Though artisans have added new hues to their palette, blue remains the most emblematic of this ceramic tradition. Since the 19th century, the availability of cobalt blue pigment has led to greater variety in Fajalauza decoration.
El Patio Andaluz
In fact, looking at a Fajalauza piece is like stepping into a flower-filled courtyard in Granada. Pots filled with overhanging flowers and plants cover the walls. Running water in a little fountain gurgles and songbirds trill all around. Andalucía is known for its soporific heat yet stepping through the arabesque archway into one of these courtyards is like entering an oasis in the desert. It’s cool and lush and green and fragrant with the smell of jasmine and other blossoms. Perhaps you can take shelter under a pomegranate tree and snack on its fruit to ward off the lethargy that sets in under the punishing sun.
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