Brief History On The Umayyad Guadamecí
When the Islamist civilization settled down in the Iberian peninsula, it reached itsmaximum splendour in the city of Córdoba, which got to be the Western cultural centre.
The conquest of Al-Andalus took place without any resistance on the part of the native population. Thus, the land of Andalucía started to be part of the Islam Empire bringing their own culture.
It is then, when there was a particular way of working the leather where the Arab culture showed its appeal and fine art, the drawing aftertaste and the colour pleasure.
The most beautiful adaptation of the leather to the exterior decoration is, by then, employed in the iron garnished sheepskin, gilded and polychrome panels. Those sumptuous pieces of art were named “guadamecies”. The guadameci consists of a piece of sheepskin tanned and later gilded, polychrome and iron garnished.
It was in the city of Cordoba where, soon, this luxurious art acquired an own character which made it bethe most precious and favourite piece in the decoration all around the world, showing this city as a society where the caliphate reached its most glorious Eastern traditional artistic achievements.
“This is why the guadameci, due to its beauty and artistic value, takes the place of honour in museums around the world and are luxurious royal presents.”
