Frame of The Slave Girl

This original frame, like the painting itself, reflects the Orientalism then in vogue. In that context, the Alhambra played a key role in fostering a taste for the exotic. Its influence is apparent here in the use of geometric and epigraphic motifs, such as the twelve-pointed star and the inscription running continuously along the edge of the frame’s inner moulding: “Wa-la galib illà Allah”, the motto of the Nasrid dynasty, meaning “There is no victor but Allah”.