Moorish influence

[low_delta]

These pictures are from the Wisconsin Club, in Milwaukee. It's a ritzy place (obviously). It was originally the mansion of Alexander Mitchell.



These rooms have an obvious Moorish influence, wouldn't you say, Donna? The framework of the doors is directly taken from the Moorish, though the stained glass (very likely Tiffany) is not.



The walls do not have the geometric patterns, but are in keeping with the theme of intricate designs. The ceiling I found very interesting. It seems to be a take on muqarnas.

Comments

[serendipity.livejournal.com]

Ooh, those stained glass doors are amazing.

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

Definitely a Moorish influence there...and the walls do have geometric patterns, not strict geometry but intertwining designs similar to what you saw here. I don't see the muqarnas in the ceiling, though. That would be the stalactite effect we saw in the Alhambra and here in Seville at the Alcazar.

I'm having brain freeze...we didn't go to Córdoba with you, did we?

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

No Cordoba.

Here's a closeup of the "muqarnas."



I think this is similar but different. It has the rounded, scooped-out shape, and each layer goes back underneath the one above it. As they go back, they have that very similar vertical shape between them. On the other hand, each layer is a straight line across, rather than curving around, and there are more shapes in it than just the round "scoop."

I can't find any info about when the room was built, but it seems likely that it was the late 1870's.

North Lounge —(formerly called the Men’s Lounge, Persian and Moorish Room)
Mr. Mitchell’s smoking room was known as the Persian or Moorish Room. The ceiling is uniquely decorated with plaster molds reminiscent of the near eastern style of a Moslem Palace. The walls are covered with large panels of leather, embossed and polychrome in red, blue, gold and burgundy arabesques, which were imported from Paris. This room is similar to the smoking room from the John D. Rockefeller house now on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Large, folding, stained-glass doors open from the Moorish Room onto the north-south corridor, the east entry hall and Mr. Mitchell’s private library-study.

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

Well, you'll just have to come back for Cordoba because it is a totally amazing place with the Mezquita.
:)
Ok...the close-up definitely shows a very muqarna-like structure. It would be interesting to know if the designer-architect actually visited some place with Moslem-Moorish influence before designing it.