These lithographs represent some of the work which earned the painter the name of 'Spanish' Lewis during this period. Previously known for paintings of animals, his visit to Spain altered his vision as an artist, and in later life his travels in Europe and particularly the Middle East were to provide his inspiration.

The early nineteenth century saw the great romanticisation of Islamic Spain in western eyes, with the Alhambra, the great palace of the Nasrid rulers of Granada, at the centre of the myth. The author Washington Irving, with his Tales of the Alhambra, conjured up images of mystery and splendour which influenced the popular conception of the period. Lewis' images combine the delicacy and beauty of the historic palace with figures from the Spain of his time, linking past and present.