La Lonja, the Market Exchange

Juan de Sariņena
1541-1551




Italian Renaissance influences

Prior to the construction of the Market Exchange (1541-1551CE) the merchants of Zaragoza carried out their business negotiations primarily in the churches of the city. This new construction clearly owes to the Renaissance palaces of 15th century Florence. Like them it has a kind of blocky appearance with registers clearly defined and each one different. However, the facade does not seem as rational/mathematical as the most accomplished versions in Florence (the Medici-Riccardi Palace or the Palazzo Rucellai, for example.) The arches and arcades don't seem spaced clearly above one another and entablature(?) with the rectangular concavities seems odd with the arcades. What is absolutely Spanish is the use of brick rather than stone and polychrome figural heads in the top register. See the close up below.

 
Originally a tower was planned but instead the building has a towerless hipped roof.
 

The polychrome heads




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© 2013 Mary Ann Sullivan. I have photographed (on site), scanned, and manipulated all the images on these pages. Please feel free to use them for personal or educational purposes. They are not available for commercial purposes.