Today I would like to invite you to a short trip into botany. Here in Andalusia, a plant that has attained artistic significance is currently flourishing. The perennial herbaceous plant, Acanthus mollis called, forms an unbranched inflorescence with many lip blossoms, which can reach a height of up to one meter. At the bottom, there are pinnately split leaves 40-60 cm long and 15 cm wide.
These leaves inspired the Greek sculptor Callimachus in the 5th century BC to design an ornament that could be used to decorate column ends — so-called capitals. He is credited with inventing the Corinthian chapter and thus the acanthus ornament.
Since that time, acanthus leaves have been used as ornaments not only in architecture. In addition, the basic form has been further developed; a series of leaves form an acanthus frieze, circularly arranged leaves form an acanthus rosette and acanthus tendrils are also widely used in art — in contrast to botany. Foreign flowers and calyxes were also integrated into the illustrations. The Italian Renaissance in particular is known for its rich and elegant decoration.
This style was also popular again in 20th century Andalusia and acanthus tendrils can be found on ceramic tile paintings in the entrances of noble town houses.
The cement tile manufacturers also created patterns with more or less realistic acanthus images.
Once you sharpen your eye, you can also see references to stylized acanthus leaves and tendrils in many other classic cement tiles.
