The Yale expositor., 1917-02-01

private hands, has escaped the zeal OF
official architects. Moreover, il is the
perfect type of a Moorish country
house of moderate size built without
reference to the needs of defence, and
girt about with gardens in which de-
sign and the CONFORMATION OF the site
have cOnspired to create cool retreats
of extraordinary beauty Not only
does the Generalife claim the singular
interest of having been designed ORR
ginally for his own home by one OF
the architects employed on the Alham-
bra, but it is fine flower Of mingled
Italian and Moorish art In its own
right.
Beauties of the Gardens.
Parts of the gardens, and not the
least interesting, defy the camera.
Trees and shrubs have been allowed
to grow somewhat too freely, and the
fine lines of pool and wall in most Of
/ the upper compartments are now
veiled in a green Insurance This de-
stroys in photograph the underlying
form which the eye is able to trace.
Moreover, it is impossible TO take any
general photograph which would give
any idea of the variety given to tho
scheme by an almost bewilderiug
change Of levels. The gardens step
/ down the Hill from east to west and
! there are other variations. Tie lower
walled garden, for example, is much
lower than the level of the picture
gallery. From the windows of the lat
ter we look down on its round pool
and low well-clipped box hedges
| bounded on the north side by an open
arcade which frames the view.
The Generalife is approached by q
long avenue and We enter at the
southern end of the court of the ace
quia or canal. The channel is Dor
| dered by fountain jets and is no more
than four feet in width. At either end
is a small, round pool, and the water,
brought to the northern pool from the
head of the water supply up the hill,
flows southwark and then to the lower
| levels. The northern block of build
ing is reached by a delightful cloister
along the west side of the court. About
halfway along the cloister Is a mira
dor or outlook chamber from which
we look down on to the lower gardens
north and south of it, and across TO
the Alhambra, best seen from here.
The paths in the Canal court are of
pebbles laid in diamond patterns. The
detail of the cloister may well be of
the fourteenth century and prepares
us for the superb design and workman
ship Of the great pOrticO at the north
end Of the Canal court.
Cypress and Cedar Gardens.
a few steps up bring us to a mira
dor on the upper floor of the building
which here runs eastward. From both
levels we look southwark over the
Cypress garden, which takes its name
from one great tree that has lost its
fellows and does not look as though it
would live forever. Here are pool
and luxuriant hedges. About twenty
steps take us up to the Cedar garden,
and from this level we can climb the
hill to the mirador by two series OF
stairways, giving access to further
hedged gardens set out in every sort
of geometrical pattern. At every turn
there are fountains, served from the
head water by ingenious pipes and
canals. The Cypress garden is divided
from the court of the canal by n build
ing which serves as a summer resi-
dence. 1t is clear that the Generalife
gardens had great reputation as
early as the middle of the fourteenth
century, when they served as a SUI
burban pleasance for the Moorish
kings. 1t Is no less certain that much
of the present superstructure Is mark
eddy later in date. Indeed, part of the
main southern block has been consid-
erably altered In form within recent
years by roofing in an upper loggia.
Many and contradictory stories are
current as to the succession in the
ownership Of the Generalife. One is
that one of the architects OF the AL.
hambra, a Moor, married into a dis
tlnguished family from which de- |
scended the marquesses Of Campote-
Jar. Through them the property passed |
to its present owners, the Pallavicinis |
of Genoa. To them every visitor TO |
Granada owes gratitude for permits
sion TO wander through their enchant.
ed gardens