Inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art stands an extraordinary architectural fragment from the Castle of Vélez Blanco in Almería, Spain.
The marble courtyard was constructed between 1506 and 1515 for Pedro Fajardo, first Marquis of Los Vélez. Made from marble quarried at Macael in Almería, it combines Spanish architectural traditions, including its asymmetrical layout, Gothic gargoyles, and timbered ceiling, with Renaissance decoration executed by northern Italian stone carvers.
The courtyard was removed from the castle in the early twentieth century and eventually came to the United States. It entered The Met's collection through the bequest of collector George Blumenthal in 1941 and was reconstructed inside the museum.
