manuel cohen

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  • Detail of 1 of the 75 octagonal panels from the wooden coffered ceiling, made 1541-43 by Sebastian de Segovia during the reign of Emperor Charles V, in the Salon del Techo de Carlos V, or Charles V Ceiling Room, in the Mudejar Palace, or Palacio del Rey Don Pedro, built by Pedro I of Castile, 1334-1369, in 1364, in the Real Alcazar, a Moorish royal palace in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. The ceiling is made from pine wood with ground colour pigments, and the panels are carved with floral designs and busts. The Alcazar was first founded as a fort in 913, then developed as a palace in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries and used by both Muslim and Christian rulers. The Alcazar is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_SPAIN_MC095.jpg
  • Wooden coffered ceiling with 75 octagonal panels, made 1541-43 by Sebastian de Segovia during the reign of Emperor Charles V, in the Salon del Techo de Carlos V, or Charles V Ceiling Room, in the Mudejar Palace, or Palacio del Rey Don Pedro, built by Pedro I of Castile, 1334-1369, in 1364, in the Real Alcazar, a Moorish royal palace in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. The ceiling is made from pine wood with ground colour pigments, and the panels are carved with floral designs and busts. The Alcazar was first founded as a fort in 913, then developed as a palace in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries and used by both Muslim and Christian rulers. The Alcazar is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_SPAIN_MC093.jpg
  • Wooden Renaissance coffered ceiling, carved 1589-91 by Master Martin Infante, in the Salon del Techo de Felipe II, or Philip II Ceiling Room, in the Mudejar Palace, or Palacio del Rey Don Pedro, built by Pedro I of Castile, 1334-1369, in 1364, in the Real Alcazar, a Moorish royal palace in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. The ceiling is made of square coffers carved and painted with geometric designs. The room is accessed from both the Garden of The Prince and the Salon de Embajadores, or Hall of Ambassadors, by way of the Arch of the Peacock (symbol of permanence, immortality and monarchy). The Alcazar was first founded as a fort in 913, then developed as a palace in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries and used by both Muslim and Christian rulers. The Alcazar is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_SPAIN_MC018.jpg
  • Gold stucco ceiling decoration with putto, in the King's Bedchamber, in the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, designed by Louis Le Vau, 1612-70, and built 1658-61 for marquis Nicolas Fouquet, in Maincy, Seine-et-Marne, France. Charles Le Brun painted the ceiling, Truth Supported by Time, representing Fouquet's allegiance to the King, with gold plasterwork surrounding the panels. The chateau is built in Baroque style, with decoration by Charles Le Brun, 1619-90, and grounds designed by landscape architect Andre le Notre, 1613-1700. The chateau is listed as a historic monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC19_FRANCE_MC_0191.jpg
  • Painted coffered wooden ceiling with corbels carved as animals, in the Diagonal room, on the first floor of the Palau Baro de Quadras, a mansion remodelled 1904-6 in catalan Modernisme style by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, 1867-1956, between the Avinguda Diagonal and Carrer Rossello, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. This large room overlooking the Avinguda Diagonal was the family's main living room, with Moorish style arches, floral decorations, a coffered ceiling and stained glass gallery. The house was commissioned by Manuel Quadras i Feliu of the Quadras textile family. The building now houses the Institut Ramon Llull, which promotes catalan language and culture. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC20_SPAIN_MC_0993.jpg
  • Gold stucco ceiling decoration with lion, in the King's Bedchamber, in the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, designed by Louis Le Vau, 1612-70, and built 1658-61 for marquis Nicolas Fouquet, in Maincy, Seine-et-Marne, France. Charles Le Brun painted the ceiling, Truth Supported by Time, representing Fouquet's allegiance to the King, with gold plasterwork surrounding the panels. The chateau is built in Baroque style, with decoration by Charles Le Brun, 1619-90, and grounds designed by landscape architect Andre le Notre, 1613-1700. The chateau is listed as a historic monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC19_FRANCE_MC_0193.jpg
  • Gold stucco ceiling decoration with lion, caduceus and quiver of arrows, in the King's Bedchamber, in the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, designed by Louis Le Vau, 1612-70, and built 1658-61 for marquis Nicolas Fouquet, in Maincy, Seine-et-Marne, France. Charles Le Brun painted the ceiling, Truth Supported by Time, representing Fouquet's allegiance to the King, with gold plasterwork surrounding the panels. The chateau is built in Baroque style, with decoration by Charles Le Brun, 1619-90, and grounds designed by landscape architect Andre le Notre, 1613-1700. The chateau is listed as a historic monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC19_FRANCE_MC_0195.jpg
  • Gold stucco ceiling decoration with lion, lyre, caduceus and shield, in the King's Bedchamber, in the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, designed by Louis Le Vau, 1612-70, and built 1658-61 for marquis Nicolas Fouquet, in Maincy, Seine-et-Marne, France. Charles Le Brun painted the ceiling, Truth Supported by Time, representing Fouquet's allegiance to the King, with gold plasterwork surrounding the panels. The chateau is built in Baroque style, with decoration by Charles Le Brun, 1619-90, and grounds designed by landscape architect Andre le Notre, 1613-1700. The chateau is listed as a historic monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC19_FRANCE_MC_0194.jpg
  • Polychrome wooden coffered ceiling of the Capella de Santa Agueda or Chapel of Santa Agata, a catalan Gothic chapel in the Palau Reial Major, built as residence for the counts of Barcelona and kings of Aragon and now the Muhba Placa del Rei, a history museum covering Roman to medieval periods, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The chapel was built in catalan Gothic style in 1302, with a rectangular nave, polygonal apse and coffered ceiling. The chapel was built by Bertran Riquer, Jaume del Rei and Pere d'Olivera for King James II of Aragon and his wife Blanca of Naples. The palace complex includes the Salo del Tinell built 1359–62, the Palatine Chapel of St Agatha built 1302 and the Palau del Lloctinent built 1549. The museum is part of the Museu de Historia de Barcelona. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC20_SPAIN_MC_433.jpg
  • Wooden star shaped panels, carved and painted by craftsmen from North Africa, 12th century, on the ceiling of the Palatine Chapel or Cappella Palatina, the royal chapel of the Norman Palace in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. The chapel was built for Roger II of Sicily in 1132 and consecrated in 1143, and is decorated with Byzantine mosaics. It has a sanctuary dedicated to St Peter and muqarnas in the nave ceiling, being a marriage of Norman, Byzantine and Islamic Fatimid architectural styles. The chapel is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC20_ITALY_MC_391.jpg
  • Decorative plasterwork in blue and red, in the Salon del Techo de Felipe II, or Philip II Ceiling Room, in the Mudejar Palace, or Palacio del Rey Don Pedro, built by Pedro I of Castile, 1334-1369, in 1364, in the Real Alcazar, a Moorish royal palace in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. The ceiling is made of square coffers carved and painted with geometric designs. The room is accessed from both the Garden of The Prince and the Salon de Embajadores, or Hall of Ambassadors, by way of the Arch of the Peacock (symbol of permanence, immortality and monarchy). The Alcazar was first founded as a fort in 913, then developed as a palace in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries and used by both Muslim and Christian rulers. The Alcazar is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_SPAIN_MC014.jpg
  • Wooden star shaped panel, carved and painted by craftsmen from North Africa, 12th century, on the ceiling of the Palatine Chapel or Cappella Palatina, the royal chapel of the Norman Palace in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. The chapel was built for Roger II of Sicily in 1132 and consecrated in 1143, and is decorated with Byzantine mosaics. It has a sanctuary dedicated to St Peter and muqarnas in the nave ceiling, being a marriage of Norman, Byzantine and Islamic Fatimid architectural styles. The chapel is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC20_ITALY_MC_414.jpg
  • Decorative tiled ceiling of the internal galleries linking parts of the Administration Pavilion, built 1905-10, with the symbol of the Holy Cross (left) and of Catalonia (ceiling), with floral and botanical motifs, at the Hospital de Sant Pau, or Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, built 1902-30, designed by Catalan Modernist architect Lluis Domenech i Montaner, 1850-1923, in El Guinardo, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The original medieval hospital of 1401 was replaced with this complex in the 20th century thanks to capital provided in the will of Pau Gil. The hospital consists of 27 pavilions surrounded by gardens and linked by tunnels, using the Modernist Art Nouveau style with great attention to detail. On the death of the architect, his son Pere Domenech i Roura took over the project. The complex was listed in 1997 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC16_SPAIN_MC233.jpg
  • Section of stucco ceiling with figure and decorative border, from the imitation coffered ceiling of the Triclinium, a large room probably used for lunches and open to the garden, with walls painted on a white background with figures and plants and ornamental borders and floating figures of the seasons, in the Casa dell Efebo, or House of the Ephebus, Pompeii, Italy. This is a large, sumptuously decorated house probably owned by a rich family, and named after the statue of the Ephebus found here. Pompeii is a Roman town which was destroyed and buried under 4-6 m of volcanic ash in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Buildings and artefacts were preserved in the ash and have been excavated and restored. Pompeii is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC16_ITALY_MC_0229.jpg
  • Musicians, painted by craftsmen from North Africa, 12th century, on the wooden ceiling of the nave of the Palatine Chapel or Cappella Palatina, the royal chapel of the Norman Palace in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. The chapel was built for Roger II of Sicily in 1132 and consecrated in 1143, and is decorated with Byzantine mosaics. It has a sanctuary dedicated to St Peter and muqarnas in the nave ceiling, being a marriage of Norman, Byzantine and Islamic Fatimid architectural styles. The chapel is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC20_ITALY_MC_412.JPG
  • Arch and alfiz with decorative plasterwork and Arabic script, and azulejos tiles, in the Salon del Techo de Carlos V, or Charles V Ceiling Room, in the Mudejar Palace, or Palacio del Rey Don Pedro, built by Pedro I of Castile, 1334-1369, in 1364, in the Real Alcazar, a Moorish royal palace in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. The room's coffered wooden ceiling was made 1541-43 by Sebastian de Segovia. The Alcazar was first founded as a fort in 913, then developed as a palace in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries and used by both Muslim and Christian rulers. The Alcazar is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_SPAIN_MC092.jpg
  • Angel with the lamb of God, painted by craftsmen from North Africa, 12th century, on the wooden ceiling of the nave of the Palatine Chapel or Cappella Palatina, the royal chapel of the Norman Palace in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. The chapel was built for Roger II of Sicily in 1132 and consecrated in 1143, and is decorated with Byzantine mosaics. It has a sanctuary dedicated to St Peter and muqarnas in the nave ceiling, being a marriage of Norman, Byzantine and Islamic Fatimid architectural styles. The chapel is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC20_ITALY_MC_402.jpg
  • Wooden star shaped panel, carved and painted by craftsmen from North Africa, 12th century, on the ceiling of the Palatine Chapel or Cappella Palatina, the royal chapel of the Norman Palace in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. The chapel was built for Roger II of Sicily in 1132 and consecrated in 1143, and is decorated with Byzantine mosaics. It has a sanctuary dedicated to St Peter and muqarnas in the nave ceiling, being a marriage of Norman, Byzantine and Islamic Fatimid architectural styles. The chapel is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC20_ITALY_MC_465.jpg
  • Arch and alfiz with decorative plasterwork and Arabic script, in the Salon del Techo de Carlos V, or Charles V Ceiling Room, in the Mudejar Palace, or Palacio del Rey Don Pedro, built by Pedro I of Castile, 1334-1369, in 1364, in the Real Alcazar, a Moorish royal palace in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. The room's coffered wooden ceiling was made 1541-43 by Sebastian de Segovia. The Alcazar was first founded as a fort in 913, then developed as a palace in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries and used by both Muslim and Christian rulers. The Alcazar is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_SPAIN_MC091.jpg
  • Decorative plasterwork in blue and red with Arabic script, in the Salon del Techo de Felipe II, or Philip II Ceiling Room, in the Mudejar Palace, or Palacio del Rey Don Pedro, built by Pedro I of Castile, 1334-1369, in 1364, in the Real Alcazar, a Moorish royal palace in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. The ceiling is made of square coffers carved and painted with geometric designs. The room is accessed from both the Garden of The Prince and the Salon de Embajadores, or Hall of Ambassadors, by way of the Arch of the Peacock (symbol of permanence, immortality and monarchy). The Alcazar was first founded as a fort in 913, then developed as a palace in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries and used by both Muslim and Christian rulers. The Alcazar is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_SPAIN_MC085.jpg
  • Decorative plasterwork in blue and red with Arabic script, in the Salon del Techo de Felipe II, or Philip II Ceiling Room, in the Mudejar Palace, or Palacio del Rey Don Pedro, built by Pedro I of Castile, 1334-1369, in 1364, in the Real Alcazar, a Moorish royal palace in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. The ceiling is made of square coffers carved and painted with geometric designs. The room is accessed from both the Garden of The Prince and the Salon de Embajadores, or Hall of Ambassadors, by way of the Arch of the Peacock (symbol of permanence, immortality and monarchy). The Alcazar was first founded as a fort in 913, then developed as a palace in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries and used by both Muslim and Christian rulers. The Alcazar is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_SPAIN_MC013.jpg
  • Painted decorative ceiling of the Prayer hall of the Helveti Tekke or Teqe e Helvetive, a Bektashi Sufi shrine of the Helveti sect built in the 15th century and rebuilt by Ahmet Kurt Pasha in 1782, with mihrab on the far wall, in Berat, South-Central Albania, capital of the District of Berat and the County of Berat. The ceiling is decorated in the Baroque style adopted by Islamic art and 14 carat gold has been used. The tekke is composed of a square prayer hall, an external portico (with columns from Appolonia) and a room which housed the mausoleum of Ahmet Kurt Pasha and his son. On the inner walls are 8 frescoes of houses, muslim religious buildings and gardens. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC14_Albania_MC092.jpg
  • Painted decorative ceiling of the Prayer hall of the Helveti Tekke or Teqe e Helvetive, a Bektashi Sufi shrine of the Helveti sect built in the 15th century and rebuilt by Ahmet Kurt Pasha in 1782, with mihrab on the far wall, in Berat, South-Central Albania, capital of the District of Berat and the County of Berat. The ceiling is decorated in the Baroque style adopted by Islamic art and 14 carat gold has been used. The tekke is composed of a square prayer hall, an external portico (with columns from Appolonia) and a room which housed the mausoleum of Ahmet Kurt Pasha and his son. On the inner walls are 8 frescoes of houses, muslim religious buildings and gardens. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC14_Albania_MC093.jpg
  • Decorative frescoes on the ceiling of the Et'hem Bey Mosque or Xhamia e Et'hem Beut, begun 1789 by Molla Bey and finished in 1823 by his son Haxhi Ethem Bey, great-grandson of Sulejman Pasha, Tirana, Albania. The frescoes decorating the mosque, unusual in Islamic art, depict trees, waterfalls, buildings and bridges and this ceiling fresco uses swirling vegetal designs. The mosque is listed as a Cultural Monument of Albania. Tirana was founded by the Ottomans in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini and became the capital of Albania in 1920. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC14_Albana_MC001.jpg
  • Decorative ceiling panel by Charles Errard, c. 1660, in the bedroom of Anne of Austria, 1601-66, wife of King Louis XIII, Chateau de Fontainebleau, France. The Palace of Fontainebleau is one of the largest French royal palaces and was begun in the early 16th century for Francois I. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC14_France_MC408.jpg
  • Ceiling in relief resembling a giant plaster spiral, water vortex or galaxy, with central crystal chandelier, in the grand central hall on the Noble Floor of Casa Batllo, originally built in 1877 by Emilio Sala Cortes and totally remodelled 1904-6 by Antoni Gaudi, 1852-1926, in catalan Modernisme and art nouveau style, for Josep Batllo y Casanovas, a textile industrialist, on the Passeig de Gracia in the Illa de la Discordia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The building is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC20_SPAIN_MC_1243.jpg
  • Ceiling in relief resembling a giant plaster spiral, water vortex or galaxy, with central crystal chandelier, in the grand central hall on the Noble Floor of Casa Batllo, originally built in 1877 by Emilio Sala Cortes and totally remodelled 1904-6 by Antoni Gaudi, 1852-1926, in catalan Modernisme and art nouveau style, for Josep Batllo y Casanovas, a textile industrialist, on the Passeig de Gracia in the Illa de la Discordia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The building is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC20_SPAIN_MC_1241.jpg
  • Ceiling in relief resembling a giant plaster spiral, water vortex or galaxy, and column, in the grand central hall on the Noble Floor of Casa Batllo, originally built in 1877 by Emilio Sala Cortes and totally remodelled 1904-6 by Antoni Gaudi, 1852-1926, in catalan Modernisme and art nouveau style, for Josep Batllo y Casanovas, a textile industrialist, on the Passeig de Gracia in the Illa de la Discordia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The building is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC20_SPAIN_MC_1250.jpg
  • Ceiling in relief resembling a giant plaster spiral, water vortex or galaxy, with central crystal chandelier, in the grand central hall on the Noble Floor of Casa Batllo, originally built in 1877 by Emilio Sala Cortes and totally remodelled 1904-6 by Antoni Gaudi, 1852-1926, in catalan Modernisme and art nouveau style, for Josep Batllo y Casanovas, a textile industrialist, on the Passeig de Gracia in the Illa de la Discordia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The building is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC20_SPAIN_MC_1242.jpg
  • Grand central hall, with false ceiling in relief resembling a giant plaster spiral, water vortex or galaxy, with central crystal chandelier, on the Noble Floor of Casa Batllo, originally built in 1877 by Emilio Sala Cortes and totally remodelled 1904-6 by Antoni Gaudi, 1852-1926, in catalan Modernisme and art nouveau style, for Josep Batllo y Casanovas, a textile industrialist, on the Passeig de Gracia in the Illa de la Discordia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The building is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC20_SPAIN_MC_1248.jpg
  • Ceiling painted by Dali in 1971, detail, in the Heraldry room, or Sala de los Escudos, in the Castle of Pubol, now the Gala Dali Castle House-Museum, in Pubol, Baix Emporda, Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Dali bought the castle in 1969 for his wife Gala, and restored and renovated it. Gala was buried in the crypt in 1982 and Dali lived and worked here 1982-84. The castle was originally built in the 11th century and the Church of Sant Pere de Pubol was built 1327-41 in Gothic style. The site opened as a museum in 1996, managed by the Gala-Salvador Dali Foundation. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC20_SPAIN_MC_0788.jpg
  • The Triumph of Loyalty, central section of the painted ceiling of the Nine Muses by Charles Le Brun, in the Chamber of the Muses, in the State Apartment of the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, designed by Louis Le Vau, 1612-70, and built 1658-61 for marquis Nicolas Fouquet, in Maincy, Seine-et-Marne, France. The chateau is built in Baroque style, with decoration by Charles Le Brun, 1619-90, and grounds designed by landscape architect Andre le Notre, 1613-1700. The chateau is listed as a historic monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC19_FRANCE_MC_0143.jpg
  • Painted ceiling of the Nine Muses by Charles Le Brun, detail, in the Chamber of the Muses, in the State Apartment of the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, designed by Louis Le Vau, 1612-70, and built 1658-61 for marquis Nicolas Fouquet, in Maincy, Seine-et-Marne, France. The chateau is built in Baroque style, with decoration by Charles Le Brun, 1619-90, and grounds designed by landscape architect Andre le Notre, 1613-1700. The chateau is listed as a historic monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC19_FRANCE_MC_0180.jpg
  • Coffered ceiling of right staircase, Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau, 16th century Renaissance chateau, Loire Valley, Inde-et-Loire, France. This staircase is unusual for the period as it is in Italian ramp rather than spiral form. The ceiling is coffered with rib vaulting and pendant keystones. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC13_FRANCE_MC113.jpg
  • Grand central hall, with false ceiling in relief resembling a giant plaster spiral, water vortex or galaxy, with central crystal chandelier, on the Noble Floor of Casa Batllo, originally built in 1877 by Emilio Sala Cortes and totally remodelled 1904-6 by Antoni Gaudi, 1852-1926, in catalan Modernisme and art nouveau style, for Josep Batllo y Casanovas, a textile industrialist, on the Passeig de Gracia in the Illa de la Discordia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The building is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC20_SPAIN_MC_1247.jpg
  • Ceiling in relief resembling a giant plaster spiral, water vortex or galaxy, with central crystal chandelier, in the grand central hall on the Noble Floor of Casa Batllo, originally built in 1877 by Emilio Sala Cortes and totally remodelled 1904-6 by Antoni Gaudi, 1852-1926, in catalan Modernisme and art nouveau style, for Josep Batllo y Casanovas, a textile industrialist, on the Passeig de Gracia in the Illa de la Discordia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The building is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC20_SPAIN_MC_1239.jpg
  • Painted ceiling of the Nine Muses by Charles Le Brun, detail, in the Chamber of the Muses, in the State Apartment of the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, designed by Louis Le Vau, 1612-70, and built 1658-61 for marquis Nicolas Fouquet, in Maincy, Seine-et-Marne, France. The chateau is built in Baroque style, with decoration by Charles Le Brun, 1619-90, and grounds designed by landscape architect Andre le Notre, 1613-1700. The chateau is listed as a historic monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC19_FRANCE_MC_0181.jpg
  • Painted ceiling of the Nine Muses by Charles Le Brun, detail, in the Chamber of the Muses, in the State Apartment of the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, designed by Louis Le Vau, 1612-70, and built 1658-61 for marquis Nicolas Fouquet, in Maincy, Seine-et-Marne, France. The chateau is built in Baroque style, with decoration by Charles Le Brun, 1619-90, and grounds designed by landscape architect Andre le Notre, 1613-1700. The chateau is listed as a historic monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC19_FRANCE_MC_0179.jpg
  • Painted ceiling of the Nine Muses by Charles Le Brun, with at its centre, The Triumph of Loyalty, in the Chamber of the Muses, in the State Apartment of the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, designed by Louis Le Vau, 1612-70, and built 1658-61 for marquis Nicolas Fouquet, in Maincy, Seine-et-Marne, France. The chateau is built in Baroque style, with decoration by Charles Le Brun, 1619-90, and grounds designed by landscape architect Andre le Notre, 1613-1700. The chateau is listed as a historic monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC19_FRANCE_MC_0249.jpg
  • Central medallion of the painted ceiling, with St Catherine of Alexandria representing wisdom and patron saint of students and teachers, 17th century, by Francisco F de Araujo, in the Sao Miguel Chapel, or St Michael's Chapel, designed in Manueline style 1517-22 by Marco Pires and completed by Diogo de Castilho, on the site of a 12th century chapel in the University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. The chapel was renovated in the 17th and 18th centuries, with pulpit built by Manuel Ramos in 1684, tiled floor added 1613, Baroque organ with 2,000 pipes built 1733 by Fray Manuel de Sao Bento, chinoiserie painting by Gabriel Ferreira da Cunha in 1737, and Mannerist altarpiece designed by Bernardo Coelho in 1605 and made by sculptor Simon Mota, with paintings by Simon Rodrigues and Domingos Vieira Serrao. The University of Coimbra was first founded in 1290 and moved to Coimbra in 1308 and to the royal palace in 1537. The building is listed as a historic monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC16_PORTUGAL_MC_097.jpg
  • Looking up at a beautiful decorated ceiling badly damaged with damp patches and a hole, in an abandoned building in a state of dereliction in the old town or Casc Antic of Tortosa, Tarragona, Spain. Tortosa is an ancient town situated on the Ebro Delta which has a rich heritage dating from Roman times. In recent years, many buildings in the old town have been abandoned and fallen into disrepair. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LCSPAIN13_MC105.jpg
  • Sun on the ceiling of the Collegiale de l'Assomption, or Collegiale de Notre-Dame, the Collegiate Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, aerial view, built 13th century, with 16th century nave and bell tower, in Villemaur-sur-Vanne, Aube, Grand Est, France. The church is famous for its rood screen of 1521 with 26 bas reliefs in Gothic and Renaissance style. The rood screen is listed as a historic monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC21_FRANCE_MC_1756.jpg
  • Grand central hall, with false ceiling in relief resembling a giant plaster spiral, water vortex or galaxy, with central crystal chandelier, on the Noble Floor of Casa Batllo, originally built in 1877 by Emilio Sala Cortes and totally remodelled 1904-6 by Antoni Gaudi, 1852-1926, in catalan Modernisme and art nouveau style, for Josep Batllo y Casanovas, a textile industrialist, on the Passeig de Gracia in the Illa de la Discordia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The building is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC20_SPAIN_MC_1246.jpg
  • Painted ceiling, 17th century, by Francisco F de Araujo, with central medallion of St Catherine of Alexandria, representing wisdom and patron saint of students and teachers, in the Sao Miguel Chapel, or St Michael's Chapel, designed in Manueline style 1517-22 by Marco Pires and completed by Diogo de Castilho, on the site of a 12th century chapel in the University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. The chapel was renovated in the 17th and 18th centuries, with pulpit built by Manuel Ramos in 1684, tiled floor added 1613, Baroque organ with 2,000 pipes built 1733 by Fray Manuel de Sao Bento, chinoiserie painting by Gabriel Ferreira da Cunha in 1737, and Mannerist altarpiece designed by Bernardo Coelho in 1605 and made by sculptor Simon Mota, with paintings by Simon Rodrigues and Domingos Vieira Serrao. The University of Coimbra was first founded in 1290 and moved to Coimbra in 1308 and to the royal palace in 1537. The building is listed as a historic monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC16_PORTUGAL_MC_099.jpg
  • Symbol of justice, detail from the painted ceiling, 17th century, by Francisco F de Araujo, in the Sao Miguel Chapel, or St Michael's Chapel, designed in Manueline style 1517-22 by Marco Pires and completed by Diogo de Castilho, on the site of a 12th century chapel in the University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. The chapel was renovated in the 17th and 18th centuries, with pulpit built by Manuel Ramos in 1684, tiled floor added 1613, Baroque organ with 2,000 pipes built 1733 by Fray Manuel de Sao Bento, chinoiserie painting by Gabriel Ferreira da Cunha in 1737, and Mannerist altarpiece designed by Bernardo Coelho in 1605 and made by sculptor Simon Mota, with paintings by Simon Rodrigues and Domingos Vieira Serrao. The University of Coimbra was first founded in 1290 and moved to Coimbra in 1308 and to the royal palace in 1537. The building is listed as a historic monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC16_PORTUGAL_MC_098.jpg
  • Looking up at a beautiful decorated ceiling badly damaged with damp patches and a hole, in an abandoned building in a state of dereliction in the old town or Casc Antic of Tortosa, Tarragona, Spain. Tortosa is an ancient town situated on the Ebro Delta which has a rich heritage dating from Roman times. In recent years, many buildings in the old town have been abandoned and fallen into disrepair. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Looking up at the vaulted ceiling of the nave of the Collegiale Notre-Dame de Poissy, a catholic parish church founded c. 1016 by Robert the Pious and rebuilt 1130-60 in late Romanesque and early Gothic styles, Poissy, Yvelines, France. The Collegiate Church of Our Lady of Poissy was listed as a Historic Monument in 1840 and has been restored by Eugene Viollet-le-Duc. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Vaulted ceiling of the nave of Perpignan Cathedral, Perpignan, Pyrenees-Orientales, France. The ceiling features cross vaults with painted borders and polychrome sculpted bosses. The Cathedral Basilica of Saint John the Baptist of Perpignan, or Basilique-Cathedrale de Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Perpignan was begun in 1324 by King Sancho of Majorca in Catalan Gothic style, and later finished in the 15th century. The nave measures 80m long, 18m wide and 26m high. The cathedral is listed as a national monument of France. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Rib-vaulted ceiling of the nave of Rouen Cathedral or the Cathedrale de Notre Dame de Rouen, built 12th century in Gothic style, with work continuing through the 13th and 14th centuries, Rouen, Normandy, France. The nave was built mainly in the 13th century and is 60m long, with huge pillars with arches leading to the side aisles, and a rib-vaulted ceiling. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Carved wooden pulpit with statue of an angel blowing a trumpet, and the vaulted ceiling of the nave of Perpignan Cathedral, Perpignan, Pyrenees-Orientales, France. The ceiling features cross vaults with painted borders and polychrome sculpted bosses. The Cathedral Basilica of Saint John the Baptist of Perpignan, or Basilique-Cathedrale de Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Perpignan was begun in 1324 by King Sancho of Majorca in Catalan Gothic style, and later finished in the 15th century. The nave measures 80m long, 18m wide and 26m high. The cathedral is listed as a national monument of France. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Vaulted ceiling of the nave of Perpignan Cathedral, Perpignan, Pyrenees-Orientales, France. The ceiling features cross vaults with painted borders and polychrome sculpted bosses. The Cathedral Basilica of Saint John the Baptist of Perpignan, or Basilique-Cathedrale de Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Perpignan was begun in 1324 by King Sancho of Majorca in Catalan Gothic style, and later finished in the 15th century. The nave measures 80m long, 18m wide and 26m high. The cathedral is listed as a national monument of France. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Mudejar ceiling, 15th century, recovered during the demolition in 1905 of the Palace of the Dukes of Maqueda in Toledo, in the Salon Oriental or Eastern Lounge, at the Chateau de Villandry, on the river Loire near Tours in Indre-et-Loire, France. Much of the current building was built under Jean Breton who bought the existing medieval castle in 1532 and built the Renaissance palace. The chateau is listed as a historic monument and forms part of the Loire Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Painted ceiling beams in Italian style, 16th century, made from chestnut wood, in the Chambre du Roi, used for important or royal guests, in the Chateau de Montpoupon, built from 1460 by Antoine de Prie on the ruins of earlier medieval fortresses, at Cere-la-Ronde, Indre-et-Loire, France. The chateau is owned by the Motte Saint-Pierre family, houses the Musee du Veneur dedicated to hunting with hounds, and is listed as a historic monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Wooden ceiling with wooden sculptures of angels and a dove representing the holy spirit, above the altar in the Eglise Saint-Pantaleon, built 16th - 18th century, in Troyes, Aube, Grand Est, France. The church is listed as a historic monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Ceiling beams with polychrome decoration of sphinxes, urns and scrolls, 15th century, at the Palau del Marques de Dosaigues, a Rococo palace of the Marqueses of Dos Aguas, in Valencia, Spain. The building was originally built in Gothic style in the 15th century, but was remodelled in 1740 for the 3rd marquis of Dos Aguas, Gines Rabassa de Perellos y Lanuza, 1706-65, by Hipolito Rovira Meri, Ignacio Vergara and Luis Domingo. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Barrel vaulted coffered stucco ceiling, detail, with many Medicean emblems, in the Main Hall, designed by Sangallo in 1485, in the Villa di Poggio a Caiano, a Medici Villa built from 1480 in Renaissance style by Giuliano da Sangallo, 1443-1516, for Lorenzo de Medici, in Poggio a Caiano, Prato, Tuscany, Italy. The hall is painted with frescoes by Pontormo, Allori, Andrea del Sarto and Franciabigio exalting the glory of the Medici dynasty. The villa was begun 1480-95 and completed 1513-20 under Giovanni de Medici by Andrea di Cosimo Feltrini and Franciabigio. The museum now houses 2 museums, the Museo della Natura Morta or Still Life Museum, and the Historic Apartments. It forms part of the Medici UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Ceiling fresco with stars, in the high chapel or Chapelle Sainte-Croix, consecrated 1309, at the Palais des Rois de Majorque, or Palace of the Kings of Majorca, built 1276-1309 by Ramon Pau, Pons Descoll and Bernat Quer, for King James II of Majorca, in Puig del Rey, Perpignan, Pyrenees-Orientales, Catalogne du Nord, France. The fortified palace is in Late Romanesque and Gothic style and is built around 3 courtyards. It was fortified by Louis XI and renovated by Charles V and Vauban in the 15th and 17th centuries. In the 13th century, Perpignan was the capital of the Kingdom of Majorca. The palace is listed as a historic monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Coronation of the Virgin by Pietro Novelli, 18th century ceiling fresco in the Oratorio del Rosario di San Domenico, or Oratory of the Rosary of St Dominic, a Baroque oratory in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. Palermo was founded in 734 BC by the Phoenicians, and was settled by the Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Normans. Its Arab and Norman centre is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Embrace of Dido and Aeneas, tempera painting on wood, late 14th century, detail of the painted ceiling of the Sala dei Baroni Steri, from the Regional Art Gallery of the Palazzo Abatellis, in the museum of the Palazzo Chiaramonte-Steri, a 14th century palace built for Manfredi III Chiaramont, which became a jail during the Spanish Inquisition, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. Palermo's Arab and Norman centre is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Wooden ceiling beams in the Al Alawi House, built in the 1930s by Mahmoud Muhammad al Alawi, a pearl supplies merchant, near the bay in Muharraq, Bahrain. The house is of 2 storeys with a central courtyard and functioning wind tower. Muharraq is a city on the Pearling Path and with a strong history of pearl diving and pearl trade, where 17 buildings form part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site celebrating the pearl trade. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Barrel vaulted timber ceiling in the Great Hall or Grande Salle of the North Range or Logis Seigneurial, completed in 2010, at the Chateau de Guedelon, a castle built since 1997 using only medieval materials and processes, photographed in 2017, in Treigny, Yonne, Burgundy, France. The Guedelon project was begun in 1997 by Michel Guyot, owner of the nearby Chateau de Saint-Fargeau, with architect Jacques Moulin. It is an educational and scientific project with the aim of understanding medieval building techniques and the chateau should be completed in the 2020s. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • French Renaissance rib-vaulted ceiling built 1515, whose keystones form a broken line, in the hallway of the Chateau de Chenonceau, built 1514–22 in late Gothic and early Renaissance style on the River Cher near Chenonceaux, Indre-et-Loire, France. The chateau was extended on a bridge across the river, commissioned by Diane de Poitiers and built 1556-59 by Philibert de l'Orme, with a gallery added 1570–76 by Jean Bullant. Diane de Poitiers, Catherine de Medici and Louise Dupin have all contributed to the development of Chenonceau through the centuries. The chateau is listed as a historic monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Domed ceiling, 1427, in the Salon de Embajadores, or Hall of Ambassadors, in the Mudejar Palace, or Palacio del Rey Don Pedro, built by Pedro I of Castile in 1364, in the Real Alcazar, a Moorish royal palace in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. The Hall of Ambassadors was the throne room of King Don Pedro I, 1334-1369. The square shape of the room represents the earth and the circular dome, the universe, covered in carved wooden star patterns. The Alcazar was first founded as a fort in 913, then developed as a palace in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries and used by both Muslim and Christian rulers. The Alcazar is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • The pilgrim praying, a crowned cherub with no wings reads from a book searching for enlightenment, while a snake eats his own tail, killing himself with his own venom, while making the sign of infinity with his curled tail, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Winged cherub unwinding a thread on a reel topped with a Greek cross, representing the work of spinners which signifies coagulation, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Painted ceiling with African Zodiac, in the steward's office, in the Residence Lucien Paye, designed by Jean Vernon, Bruno Philippe and Albert Laprade, 1883-1978, and inaugurated 1949, in the Cite Internationale Universitaire de Paris, in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, France. Originally the Overseas French Territories House, the building was later used to house students from Sub-Saharan African countries. Pierre Meauze sculpted the pillars at the entrance and Anna Quinquaud made the bas-reliefs on the facade. The CIUP or Cite U was founded in 1925 after the First World War by Andre Honnorat and Emile Deutsch de la Meurthe to create a place of cooperation and peace amongst students and researchers from around the world. It consists of 5,800 rooms in 40 residences, accepting another 12,000 student residents each year. Picture by Manuel Cohen. L'autorisation de reproduire cette œuvre doit etre demandee aupres de l'ADAGP/Permission to reproduce this work of art must be obtained from DACS.
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  • Angels holding phylacteries on a starry sky, painted on the ceiling of the chapel, c. 1450, by an unknown artist, possibly Jacob de Littemont and Henri Mullein who worked for the Coeur family, uncovered in the 19th century and restored by Alexandre Denuelle in 1869, in the Palais Jacques Coeur, huge manor house built 1443-51 in Flamboyant Gothic style, on the Place Jacques Coeur, Bourges, France. The angels hold phylacteries with verses of the mysteries of the Virgin Mary. Fulcanelli stated that Jacques Coeur was an alchemist and the Virgin is a traditional hermetic symbol. Jacques Coeur, 1395-1456, was a wealthy merchant and was made master of the mint to King Charles VII in 1438. The building is listed as a historic monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Gothic ceiling vault above the spiral staircase in the tower beside the internal courtyard or Cour d'Honneur, in the Palais Jacques Coeur, huge manor house built 1443-51 in Flamboyant Gothic style, on the Place Jacques Coeur, Bourges, France. Jacques Coeur, 1395-1456, was a wealthy merchant and was made master of the mint to King Charles VII in 1438. The building is listed as a historic monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • The Zodiac and Constellations, 1574, ceiling fresco in the Hall of Maps by Giovanni de Vecchi, in the Villa Farnese or Villa Caprarola, a 16th century Renaissance and Mannerist fortified villa designed by Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola and built 1559-73 for the Farnese family under Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, in Caprarola, Viterbo, Lazio, Italy. The Hall of Maps is also known as the Room of the World Map or Sala del Mappamondo and displays maps of the whole known world as well as of the heavens. The Villa Farnese is now owned by the state and run by the Polo Museale del Lazio. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Ceiling fresco, 1560-62, of Hercules proving his strength to local peasants, plunging his staff deep into the earth and removing it, creating the crater which became the Lago di Vico in the Cimini mountains near Caprarola, in the Room of Hercules or Sala d'Ercole, in the Villa Farnese or Villa Caprarola, a 16th century Renaissance and Mannerist fortified villa designed by Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola and built 1559-73 for the Farnese family under Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, in Caprarola, Viterbo, Lazio, Italy. The statues and putti were restored in the 16th century, some by Giovanni Battista de Bianchi. This room was originally known as the Room of the Perspective Views, after the room painted by Baldassarre Peruzzi at the Villa Farnesina in Rome. It is on the Piano Nobile or main floor, and was used as a summer dining room. The Villa Farnese is now owned by the state and run by the Polo Museale del Lazio. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Detail of the Arts, from the allegorical trompe l'oeil ceiling fresco painted by Antonio Simoes Ribeiro and Vicente Nunez, in the Black Room of the Joanina Library, or Biblioteca Joanina, a Baroque library built 1717-28 by Gaspar Ferreira, part of the University of Coimbra General Library, in Coimbra, Portugal. The Casa da Livraria was built during the reign of King John V or Joao V, and consists of the Green Room, Red Room and Black Room, with 250,000 books dating from the 16th - 18th centuries. The library is part of the Faculty of Law and the University is housed in the buildings of the Royal Palace of Coimbra. The building is classified as a national monument and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Decorative tiled ceiling of the internal galleries linking parts of the Administration Pavilion, built 1905-10, with the symbol of Catalonia, with floral and botanical motifs, at the Hospital de Sant Pau, or Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, built 1902-30, designed by Catalan Modernist architect Lluis Domenech i Montaner, 1850-1923, in El Guinardo, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The original medieval hospital of 1401 was replaced with this complex in the 20th century thanks to capital provided in the will of Pau Gil. The hospital consists of 27 pavilions surrounded by gardens and linked by tunnels, using the Modernist Art Nouveau style with great attention to detail. On the death of the architect, his son Pere Domenech i Roura took over the project. The complex was listed in 1997 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Decorative ceiling with ribs, bosses and tilework, and the coat of arms of St Paul (Sant Pau) in the centre, in the Pau Gil Room, the old hospital archives, in the Administration Pavilion, built 1905-10, at the Hospital de Sant Pau, or Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, built 1902-30, designed by Catalan Modernist architect Lluis Domenech i Montaner, 1850-1923, in El Guinardo, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The original medieval hospital of 1401 was replaced with this complex in the 20th century thanks to capital provided in the will of Pau Gil. The hospital consists of 27 pavilions surrounded by gardens and linked by tunnels, using the Modernist Art Nouveau style with great attention to detail. On the death of the architect, his son Pere Domenech i Roura took over the project. The complex was listed in 1997 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Barrel vaulted coffered ceiling with paintings of prophets, by Vincenzo dalle Destre and Lattanzio da Rimini, over the nave of the Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli, built 1481-89 by Pietro Lombardo in Renaissance style, to house a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary, Venice, Italy. The city of Venice is an archipelago of 117 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges, in the Venetian Lagoon. The historical centre of Venice is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Octagonal Gothic ceiling of the Torre del Homenaje or Tribute Tower in the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos or Palace of the Catholic Kings, in Cordoba, Andalusia, Southern Spain. The Torre del Homenaje was renovated by Ferdinand and Isabella and here their knights swore allegiance to the Catholic faith. The alcazar was rebuilt during the Umayyad Caliphate in the 10th century and used as a royal fortress by the Moors and the Christians, as a base for the Spanish Inquisition, and as a prison. The alcazar is a national monument of Spain, and the historic centre of Cordoba is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Bosse on the painted vaulted ceiling of a side chapel, by the Master of Rieux, with a monk holding a bible, in the 12th century cathedral of Saint Maurice de Mirepoix, Mirepoix, Ariege, Midi-Pyrenees, France. The cathedral was restored in the 19th century by Prosper Merimee et Eugene Viollet-le-Duc and is listed as a national monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Detail of painted decorative ceiling beams, with angel heads and floral decoration, 17th century, in the Guard Room, Chateau de Fontainebleau, France. The Guard Room is the first of the King's apartment and was occupied by the soldiers of the guard. The Palace of Fontainebleau is one of the largest French royal palaces and was begun in the early 16th century for Francois I. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Rib vaulted ceiling of the 7-bayed nave and 2-bayed narthex, with stone bosses and stained glass windows, Chartres Cathedral, Eure-et-Loir, France. Chartres cathedral was built 1194-1250 and is a fine example of Gothic architecture. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Mudejar ceiling, detail, 15th century, recovered during the demolition in 1905 of the Palace of the Dukes of Maqueda in Toledo, in the Salon Oriental or Eastern Lounge, at the Chateau de Villandry, on the river Loire near Tours in Indre-et-Loire, France. Much of the current building was built under Jean Breton who bought the existing medieval castle in 1532 and built the Renaissance palace. The chateau is listed as a historic monument and forms part of the Loire Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • San Francisco de Borja, 1510-72, accompanied by saints linked to his life, flanked by the Virgin and St Michael the archangel, painting, detail, from the ceiling of the Galeria Dorada or Golden Gallery, in the Palau Ducal in Gandia, on the Costa del Azahar, Valencia, Spain. The Golden Gallery was built in Valencia baroque style by the 10th duke of Gandia, Pascual Francis Borja Aragon y Centelles, to commemorate the canonisation of St Francis Borja. The Ducal Palace of the Borgias of Gandia was originally built in the 14th and 15th centuries in Valencian Gothic style, and later added to in Renaissance, baroque and neo-Gothic style. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Alfonso de Borja, later Pope Calixtus III, 1378-1458, painting, detail, from the ceiling of the Galeria Dorada or Golden Gallery, in the Palau Ducal in Gandia, on the Costa del Azahar, Valencia, Spain. The Golden Gallery was built in Valencia baroque style by the 10th duke of Gandia, Pascual Francis Borja Aragon y Centelles, to commemorate the canonisation of St Francis Borja. The Ducal Palace of the Borgias of Gandia was originally built in the 14th and 15th centuries in Valencian Gothic style, and later added to in Renaissance, baroque and neo-Gothic style. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Coffered wooden Neo-Mudejar ceiling in the main bedroom, in El Capricho de Gaudi, or Villa Quijano, a Modernist villa designed by Antoni Gaudi, 1852-1926, and built 1883-85 under his assistant Cristobal Cascante, in Comillas, Cantabria, Spain. The villa was commissioned by Maximo Diaz de Quijano as a summer house. It is from Gaudi's orientalist period, with azulejos tiles and domes. The building has housed a museum since 2009. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Coffered wooden Neo-Mudejar ceiling in the main bedroom, in El Capricho de Gaudi, or Villa Quijano, a Modernist villa designed by Antoni Gaudi, 1852-1926, and built 1883-85 under his assistant Cristobal Cascante, in Comillas, Cantabria, Spain. The villa was commissioned by Maximo Diaz de Quijano as a summer house. It is from Gaudi's orientalist period, with azulejos tiles and domes. The building has housed a museum since 2009. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Carved flowers, painted in brown and gold, detail from the coffered wooden ceiling in the dining room, in El Capricho de Gaudi, or Villa Quijano, a Modernist villa designed by Antoni Gaudi, 1852-1926, and built 1883-85 under his assistant Cristobal Cascante, in Comillas, Cantabria, Spain. The villa was commissioned by Maximo Diaz de Quijano as a summer house. It is from Gaudi's orientalist period, with azulejos tiles and domes. The building has housed a museum since 2009. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Apotheosis of Cosimo the elder Introduced to Jupiter by the City of Florence, 1698, by Anton Domenico Gabbiani for Ferdinando de Medici, ceiling fresco, in the Dining Room, in the Villa di Poggio a Caiano, a Medici Villa built from 1480 in Renaissance style by Giuliano da Sangallo, 1443-1516, for Lorenzo de Medici, in Poggio a Caiano, Prato, Tuscany, Italy. The villa was begun 1480-95 and completed 1513-20 under Giovanni de Medici by Andrea di Cosimo Feltrini and Franciabigio. The museum now houses 2 museums, the Museo della Natura Morta or Still Life Museum, and the Historic Apartments. It forms part of the Medici UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Ceiling fresco of Triumph of Purity among the Virtues over Time, by Gaspare Serenario, 1707-59, in the Galeria del Ballo, or Ballroom, at the Palazzo Conte Federico, a 12th century Arabic Norman palace in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. Being a freemason, Serenario included many masonic symbols in his fresco. The Federico counts bought the palace in the mid 17th century and are responsible for commissioning many of the decorations in place today. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Ceiling fresco of Triumph of Purity among the Virtues over Time, by Gaspare Serenario, 1707-59, in the Galeria del Ballo, or Ballroom, at the Palazzo Conte Federico, a 12th century Arabic Norman palace in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. Being a freemason, Serenario included many masonic symbols in his fresco. The Federico counts bought the palace in the mid 17th century and are responsible for commissioning many of the decorations in place today. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Wedding feast at Cana, ceiling fresco by Guglielmo Borremans, 1670–1744, in the nave of La Martorana, or Concattedrale Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, a 12th century orthodox church which merged with the adjacent Benedictine convent in 1433, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. Palermo's Arab and Norman centre is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Triumph of Saint Catherine by Filippo Randazzo, ceiling fresco of the Chiesa di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria d'Egitto, or Santa Caterina, a Baroque church built 1566-96 between Piazza Bellini and Piazza Pretoria, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. Palermo was founded in 734 BC by the Phoenicians, and was settled by the Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Normans. Its Arab and Norman centre is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Gold mosaics on the ceiling of the Martorana, or Church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, a 12th century late Byzantine church in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. The dome mosaics depict Christ Pantocrator, 4 archangels, 8 prophets holding scrolls and 4 Evangelists. Palermo was founded in 734 BC by the Phoenicians, and was settled by the Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Normans. Its Arab and Norman centre is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Cross vaulted ceiling with carved bosses, in the nave of the church, in the Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poblet, a Cistercian monastery founded in 1151, built by Arnau Bargues in Catalan Gothic style, in Conca de Barbera, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. Poblet formed part of the Cistercian Triangle in Catalonia, along with Vallbona de les Monges and Santes Creus, and was the royal burial place of the Aragon dynasty. The monastery is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Day Chasing Night, with Apollo as Day shooting an arrow at Diana as Night with her starry cloak, ceiling fresco by Paul Baudry, in the Grand Salon, in Hotel de la Paiva, an Italian Renaissance style mansion built 1856-66 by architect Pierre Manguin, on the Champs-Elysees in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. The house was built for the courtesan Esther Bachmann, or La Paiva, and since 1904 has been used by the gentlemen's club, Travellers Club of Paris. The mansion was restored in 2010 by Etienne Poncelet and is listed as a historic monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Ceiling of the Bibliotheque de l'Assemblee Nationale, or Library of the National Assembly, created in 1796 and housed in the Assemblee Nationale at the Palais Bourbon, 2nd arrondissement, Paris, France. The 42m long library houses over 60,000 works and was decorated 1838-47 with a series of paintings by Romantic artist Eugene Delacroix, 1798-1863, who painted 5 cupolas and 2 hemicycles with allegories of philosophy, natural history, legislation, eloquence, literature, poetry and theology. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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  • Griffin, with the head of an eagle and body of a lion, tempera painting on paper, c. 1470, originally decorating the wooden ceiling of a 15th century house in the town, demolished 1970, in the Museo Storico Archeologico, or Museo Castelgrande, in Castelgrande, a large defensive medieval castle in the Old Town of Bellinzona, Ticino, Switzerland. A fortification has been in place here since the 1st century BC, although the current buildings date from the 12th and 15th centuries. The castle is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC18_Bellinzona_MC022.jpg
  • King David, tempera painting on paper, c. 1470, originally decorating the wooden ceiling of a 15th century house in the town, demolished 1970, in the Museo Storico Archeologico, or Museo Castelgrande, in Castelgrande, a large defensive medieval castle in the Old Town of Bellinzona, Ticino, Switzerland. A fortification has been in place here since the 1st century BC, although the current buildings date from the 12th and 15th centuries. The castle is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC18_Bellinzona_MC020.jpg
  • Looking up at the cross vaulted Gothic ceiling of the nave and transept of the Cathedral Saint-Samson, begun in the 13th century on the site of an older church and completed in the 18th century, in Dol-de-Bretagne, Brittany, France. The cathedral is dedicated to one of the founding saints of Brittany and until 1801 was the seat of the archbishopric of Dol. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC18_FRANCE_MC_0099.jpg
  • Ceiling of the Sacristy, designed by Andres de Vandelvira, 1509–75, and sculpted by Esteban Jamete, 1515-65, at the Sacra Capilla del Salvador, or Sacred Chapel of the Saviour, designed by Diego de Siloe and Andres de Vandelvira and built for Francisco de los Cobos in 1536 in Spanish Renaissance style and consecrated in 1559, on the Plaza Vazquez de Molina, in Ubeda, Jaen, Andalusia, Spain. The Renaissance buildings of Ubeda and Baeza are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_SPAIN_MC119.jpg
  • Ceiling, with carved and painted geometric star pattern and heraldic symbols of the Catholic Monarchs, in both Mudejar and Renaissance styles, in the Cuarto del Principe, or Prince's Rooms, in the Mudejar Palace, or Palacio del Rey Don Pedro, built by Pedro I of Castile, 1334-1369, in 1364, in the Real Alcazar, a Moorish royal palace in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. The room is named after Juan de Aragon y Castile, son of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabelle de Castile, born here in 1478. The room is accessed through the Patio de las Munecas, or Courtyard of the Dolls. The Alcazar was first founded as a fort in 913, then developed as a palace in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries and used by both Muslim and Christian rulers. The Alcazar is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_SPAIN_MC087.jpg
  • Carved wooden alfarje ceiling with the coat of arms of Pedro I of Castile, in the Patio de las Doncellas, or Courtyard of the Maidens, in the Mudejar Palace, or Palacio del Rey Don Pedro, built by Pedro I of Castile, 1334-1369, in 1364, in the Real Alcazar, a Moorish royal palace in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. The Patio de las Doncellas is a courtyard surrounded by muqarnas arches and a central sunken garden. It is the main courtyard of the palace and was named after the Moorish annual tradition of demanding 100 virgins from their Christian kingdoms. The ground floor is in typical Mudejar style but the upper floor was added 1540-72 and shows Renaissance influences. The Alcazar was first founded as a fort in 913, then developed as a palace in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries and used by both Muslim and Christian rulers. The Alcazar is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_SPAIN_MC051.jpg
  • Detail of the circular domed cedar ceiling, 1427, with star patterns representing the universe and the lion and 3-towered castle of Castile and Leon, in the Salon de Embajadores, or Hall of Ambassadors, in the Mudejar Palace, or Palacio del Rey Don Pedro, built by Pedro I of Castile in 1364, in the Real Alcazar, a Moorish royal palace in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. The Hall of Ambassadors was the throne room of King Don Pedro I, 1334-1369. The Alcazar was first founded as a fort in 913, then developed as a palace in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries and used by both Muslim and Christian rulers. The Alcazar is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_SPAIN_MC026.jpg
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