plateresque

[ plat-uh-resk ]

adjective

, (sometimes initial capital letter)

1. noting or pertaining to a 16th-century style of Spanish architecture characterized by profuse applications of delicate low-relief Renaissance ornament to isolated parts of building exteriors.

Word History and Origins

Origin of plateresque¹

1835–45; < Spanish plateresco, equivalent to plater ( o ) silversmith ( plat ( a ) silver; platina + -ero < Latin -ārius -ary ) + -esco -esque; so called because the heavy ornamentation of the style suggested decorated silverwork

Example Sentences

The intricate stonework is a great example of Spain’s Plateresque style, represented by delicate, detail-packed, filigree-like carvings.

From Seattle Times

But even this greatest Christian spot in Granada, with its lacy filigree style known as Plateresque for the influence of Moorish silverwork, shines with the artistic legacy of the Moors.

From Washington Post

There would be the grand staircase of this Cathedral, and it would ascend to a western portal like Le�n's, with Santiago's P�rtico de la Gloria within; the north and south doors would be Plateresque from Salamanca and Valladolid.

From Project Gutenberg

But the style that is supreme here is the Plateresque, the silversmith period when late-Gothic and Renaissance met: the fa�ades seem as if molded in clay, so lavish is their work.

From Project Gutenberg

Romanesque, Gothic, and Plateresque are each well represented in Le�n City.

From Project Gutenberg