Santa Coloma de Cervelló, Catalonia, Spain

Hyperbolic Paraboloid Stained-Glass Oculus and Trencadís Mosaic Eyebrow Canopy of the Crypt of Colonia Güell

2066

Catalan Modernisme, 1908–1915

An exterior oculus window assembly from the Crypt of Colonia Güell, designed by Antoni Gaudí and Francesc Berenguer i Mestres and constructed 1908–1915. The window opening is engineered as a hyperbolic paraboloid — a double-curved surface assembled from single-curved bricks and tiles — that projects dynamically outward from the heavy dark masonry wall. A web-like grid of forged ironwork with interlocking star-shaped nodes spans the glass aperture. Above the glass, an eyebrow canopy arch is densely encrusted with geometric trencadís of alternating triangular and square tile pieces in vibrant yellow, green, orange, and black, terminating in a four-armed cross pinnacle. The deep recession of the window cavity within basalt and slag stone masonry produces intense chiaroscuro, casting deep shadows beneath the projecting mosaic canopy while the ceramic tiles and glass catch brilliant reflections.