Pictorial materials used in the polychrome decorations of the façade of the palace of King Pedro I (The Royal Alcazar of Seville, Spain)

Abstract

This research has been conducted on the architectural decoration of the façade of the Palace of King Pedro I (The Royal Alcazar of Seville, Spain). The stratigraphic study of pictorial layers has revealed numerous interventions made on the polychrome decorations that have been related to those referenced in historical documents. Mineralogical and compositional studies of the natural and synthetic pigments and their alteration have provided an independent chronology for the polychrome decorations. Finally, this study has revealed the importance of colour of the decorative elements over the history of the palace.

El estudio de la fachada del palacio de Pedro I ha puesto de manifiesto la existencia de un gran número de policromías realizadas con una amplia variedad de pigmentos de diferentes cronologías. Mediante diversas técnicas analíticas han sido diferenciadas y caracterizadas química y mineralógicamente. El estudio estratigráfico detallado de las diferentes policromías ha permitido relacionarlas con las sucesivas intervenciones documentadas, comprobando así la gran importancia que el color ha tenido en todas las épocas o momentos históricos del Palacio.