Jeddah's Mameluke Lanterns sculpture is a well known site located on a very busy street. From a distance, the lanterns don't look too exciting.
But on closer look, the dust covered lanterns begin to awe as it is revealed that this piece of art is actually made of stained glass.
The 4 bigger-than-life lamps are the creation of Spanish artist, Julio Lafuente, who was originally an architect. Lafuente was one of the more prolific artists who created sculptures for Jeddah, designing more than 30 sculptures in the city.
At night the lanterns are lit from within and look absolutely spectacular. They are dazzling.
The stained glass colors are vibrant and exquisite. The floral designs are very detailed and pleasing to the eye. It's difficult to capture their beauty because of their location on such a busy street.
The above photo gives a perspective of how big the lanterns really are. That's Jess, a friend of mine, raising her arms and standing under one of the lanterns, no where close to being able to reach it.
The Mameluke Lanterns sculpture is probably one of the most beloved and famous landmarks out of the hundreds of pieces of public art in Jeddah.
I'd like to thank my friend Vicki Reynolds for allowing me the use of her splendid photos for this post. She captured their beauty magnificently.
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7 comments:
They are quite beautiful. I would love to know how they were constructed.
They're beautiful and big!
They are absolutely gorgeous! Such beautiful detail.
In many of your pictures, you feature public art, at times murals. I grew up in a small town in Ohio, and no one would think about defacing the art. Due to my husband's job, we are in the NYC Metro area, and people defaced Teddy Roosevelt's statue outside the Natural History Museum. I hate to say it, but I would not give those lanterns a month in this area. Is there every vandalism?
Unfortunately there is vandalism and graffiti here in Jeddah, many times perpetrated upon the public art. Some of the artwork here is priceless and it's sad that some choose to deface it. These lanterns would be rather difficult to harm due to their location, height, and size though. They are in the middle of one of Jeddah's busiest boulevards. Punishments for being caught for doing something like that would be harsh and not something most people would want to risk.
Is it true that these lanterns were a gift by then First Lady Imelda Marcos of the Philippines to the King?
I've never ever heard that the lanterns were a gift from the Phillippines
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