Design and composition details of the mocárabes of the Torrijos ceiling at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London: An image essay

Mocárabes are a typical decoration of the artistic tradition of al-Andalus. The aim of this article is to explain the design principles, composition, and construction of the mocárabes on the fifteenth-century ceiling of Torrijos, which is preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. To explain its design, I use the methodology used from the medieval period to the eighteenth century, as recorded in manuscripts and treatises of the seventeenth century. I argue that the key to the design of mocárabes does not come from complex mathematical calculations, but from the analysis of the square, since all the pieces are sized in proportion to the side of the square or its diagonal. To do this, approximate proportional values are assigned, giving the side of the square a numerical value of five and the side of the diagonal a numerical value of seven. This method facilitates the design and proportion of the wooden prisms which are necessary for the construction of the mocárabes, and the calculation of measurements in general, which is confirmed in the analysis of the composition of the Torrijos ceiling.