The Giralda, Seville

1833

Not on view

Roberts created this moody image of a Seville landmark while visiting the city in 1833. Built as a minaret by the Moors, the structure became the cathedral bell tower after Christians retook the city in 1248, and the name derives from the crowning weathervane, or giraldillo. Using watercolor over graphite, the artist added touches of white to suggest sunlight dancing off masonry. In this view from the north, the artist makes the top and bottom of the façade equal in width—the resulting lack of vertical recession allowed accurately rendered surface ornament. Studying monuments of Islamic architecture in Spain may have encouraged Roberts’s trip to Egypt and the Holy Land in 1838.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

References

Title: The Giralda, Seville
Artist: David Roberts (British, Stockbridge, Scotland 1796–1864 London)
Date: 1833
Medium: Watercolor and gouache (bodycolor) over graphite on blue-gray paper
Dimensions: Sheet: 14 3/8 × 9 5/8 in. (36.5 × 24.5 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Purchase, Brooke Russell Astor Bequest, 2013
Object Number: 2013.77
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By David Roberts

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

The Palazzo dei Priori, Volterra, David Roberts British, Scottish, Black graphite, heightened with white on blue paper — The Palazzo dei Priori, Volterra
David Roberts
1835

The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt & Nubia, David Roberts British, Scottish, Illustrated books, London : F. G. Moon, 1842–49 — The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt & Nubia
Multiple artists/makers
1842–49

Karnak, Looking towards the Nile

David Roberts

Louis Haghe

1849

Interior of a Theatre, David Roberts British, Scottish, Pen and ink — Interior of a Theatre
David Roberts
1796–1864

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.