The Torre de Comares, Alhambra
1835
John Frederick Lewis captured this crumbling Moorish tower during his travels through Spain in the 1830s, long before he became famous for his lavish Orientalist scenes. The sketch shows the Torre de Comares at the Alhambra, towering over a colonnaded walkway where figures in traditional dress gaze out at the sprawling city of Granada below. Notice the birds circling the battlements and the delicate white highlights Lewis used to show the sun beating down on the ancient, cracked walls. It’s a snapshot of a romanticized past, freezing a moment of quiet observation in a historic fortress.
- Technique
- Watercolor and pencil
- Material
- Paper
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