Socarrat

Gender and history

Gender and space

Gender roles

Socarrat tiles were used primarily as a decorative element on the ceilings of the main rooms in the homes of nobles and members of the upper class. It was a pictorial medium that combined a wide range of decorative motifs, ranging from classical tradition, to collective archetypes, the contemplation of nature, and contemporary scenes of the times. The poliorceticon, or manual on siege warfare, which was so widely present during the medieval period, is represented here by a man with a crossbow next to a tower. Is he attacking, or defending? The figure is clearly male, but might a woman have participated actively in a scene like this, or would she have been relegated to other tasks?