Track 4: ROOM III

Here, we can admire all the techniques used in the ornamentation of the leather. We are to highlight two of them: the gilt-leather technique and the Cordovan leather technique.

The gilt-leather panel, during the Caliphate in Cordoba, is the favourite one to ornament the most important houses. Due to its beauty and accurate technique, it became the most appreciated in the European kingdoms.

Meanwhile, the Cordovan leather technique, in the same period of time, is only tanned leather, owing to some special features recorded in our geographical area, and it reached a better quality than those tanned in different places. Soon, this tanned leather became popular in different kingdoms for a working reason to cover tools, furniture, clothing, etc. This leather was named after the city.

Since the Caliphal time, our city has become the most important exporter of tanned and ornamented leather, with the after created brand “Cueros de Cordoba”.

The difference between the gilt-leather panel and the Cordovan leather technique lies on the ornament feeling on the first, being the upper class favourite one due to its quality as well as its refinement and exclusivity. The gilt-leather panel technique consists in silvering or gilding the ram skin and, later, getting it polychrome and iron garnished.

On the other way round, the Cordovan leather technique is just tanned goatskin on which we work an ornamentation embossed on the surface of the piece and, later, dyed.