It was clearly apparent that under Nasrid rule, relations between the Muslims and Christian Castilians were rough around the edges. In certain instances both groups were depicted as “the other,” signifying that no common ideology or recognition for each other existed. However, contrary to this point the Hall of Justice (Sala de la Justicia) also called the Kings Hall (Sala de los Reyes) portrays through the numerous paintings on the central domes that their existed a common appreciation for “the other’s” architectural style. That style I am referring to is the Christian Gothic style that is so prevalent within the Nasrid court.
As Jerrilynn Dodds mentions in her essay Hunting in the Borderlands, the clear presence of paintings on the wooden vaults depict tournaments, especially hunting scenes but as well as scenes of conquests and adventures of Muslim rulers. While the paintings themselves portray Christians and Muslims at odds, in a war for domination and control, the style of the paintings are clearly Christian made, begging the question who was the artist and who was the client?
Moreover, we know there was cooperation between the two religions as the Christian artists mixed Gothic Italian aesthetics with Islamic styles thus proving that a form of friendship or understanding had been established. It is almost as if that all these vaults in the Hall of Justice, that in many circumstances depict Christians and Muslims arguing or engaging in battle, are really just symbols of respect or tolerance for “the other.” Interpretations of these paintings located on the three ellipse-shaped wooden domes are still highly debated and often a point of disagreement among scholars, but it is agreed that there was a Castilian Christian influence in the Nasrid dynasty.
The Christian influence in the hunting scenes in the Hall of Justice can certainly be related to the readings by Puerta Vílchez. With a strong friendship between Mohamed V and Pedro I of Castile the geometric decorations of the Palace of the Lions are substituted for a more naturalistic style. Perhaps within Castilian aesthetics a greater emphasis was placed on nature rather than geometry.