Courting the Alhambra: Cross-Disciplinary Approaches to the Hall of Justice Ceilings

The ceiling paintings in the Hall of Justice of the Alhambra have not received serious scholarly attention for the past thirty years, perhaps due to their difficult incorporation into a discrete program of Christian vs. Islamic art, categories that until recently remained unchallenged themselves. The Alhambra itself continues to elicit the interest of many scholars, and several recent interpretations of the function of the Palace of the Lions, which houses the paintings, have been put forth. This collection brings together art historians, literary critics and historians who suggest new ways of approaching the paintings through their immediate social, historical, architectural and literary contexts, proposing a porous and flexible model for the production of culture in Iberia. Contributors are Jerrylin Dodds, Ana Echevarria, Jennifer Borland, Rosa Maria Rodriguez Porto, Oscar Martin, Amanda Luyster, Cynthia Robinson and Simone Pinet.