We thoroughly enjoyed the many fantastic stone sculptures and 3D reliefs, located in the outer edge of an old rock quarry in Osuna, Spain, during this years Snowbird excursion to the inland mountain parts of Costa del sol. The now abandoned rock quarry was used by the Iberians before Roman times during the 5th centry BC, as a source of “ashlar” precision cut building blocks. In the early 2000’s the quarry owner, hired a local rock sculptor to create many symbolic rock carvings, at the site, including a huge wall piece on the cavernous cave like interior of the old quarry. The two horn players at the entrance way were inspired by the Cornicen of Iberian art from the 1st century BC. found in Osuna.
The Spanish “El Coto de las Canteras”,relief carvings resemble the Petra temple carvings in Jordan. They have sometimes been called the Petra of Andalusia. The sculptor is “Francisco Javier Valdivia Gómez“.
Interior Altarpiece Relief stone carving
Stepping into the huge cavern, you are faced with a massive, magnificent stone relief, made up of many symbolic layers, crowned by the family crests of the quary owner – Ramos and Lobo. Fundamentally it depicts a man an woman harvesting grapes.
Website Notes: Inside the quarry is this impressive work resembling an altarpiece, with a height of almost 13 meters, a width of 8.50 meters and a depth of up to 1.25 meters. It represents the reward of collecting the fruit of one’s work and effort. It is full of hundreds of details and the occasional mystery known only to the author. One of the most remarkable details are the carved faces on each grape of the bunch.
The harvester has a height of 4.50 meters and represents the Iberian Prince (Noah’s last grandson, who cultivated grapes), whose subjects founded the Villa de Osuna. The trunk of the vine is broken, representing lightning, a symbol of power. In this trunk, a couple making love can be seen slightly. As storage for the wine, a product of the harvest, a hollow “wicker” basket has been carved allowing for a barrel of wine to be put inside; the basket has a height of 1.65 meters. The entire lower part of the altarpiece consists of a bottle rack carved to store bottles. Between the baskets are two dolmens with the Iberian flutists of Osuna looking towards the center, and on top two rams fight for the female. The large figure on the left is a pregnant woman with one hand on her belly caressing her child and with the other a jug of wine or «head» juice. Among multiple details, each one with a meaning, we can find a child eating a bunch of grapes or «heads»; at the top of the grape harvest are two Iberian dogs, catapult balls, and 2 meter Iberian warriors guarding the coats of arms of the surnames of the owners (Ramos and Lobo). On the sides the universal flood is represented by waterfalls, lightning, Noah’s ark, great waves, people drowning in the sea, the Indalo, a unicorn, Pegasus, and a ‘griffin’ of a winged horse with a woman’s head fighting with a bear. Under the shields in the form of a border there are a series of acorns, the penultimate being replaced by a phallus symbol of fertility and the one in the center by a unicorn horn symbolizing the artist’s tool.
As a curious and «mysterious» fact, in the upper left corner there is a carved 80 cm face that the author wanted to project for an unknown reason, and to his right there is a hole with an owl eating a mouse.
To the right on the same wall, there is a Rosetta Stone with the name of the author for whom it was made and the dedication.
This work is inspired by the text of the book “Fortaleza íbera en Osuna” by Arthur Engel and Pierre Paris.
Lion
Considered by the artist to be ‘El Guardian del Coto Las Canteras’, it was built from a mass of 52 tons and is 4.60 meters high, the result of a landslide. Currently, near the lion a hole can be seen in a corner of the quarry due to the detachment impact. He is represented with his mouth open and large fangs between which his tongue sticks out in a threatening manner fulfilling his mission to protect this space.
The artist had been looking at that great stone for years, dreaming of one day “taking out the lion that he saw”. The owner wanted to break the stone to make a «monument to the oil mill», but the artist refused saying that «If you want to break the stone, I will not break it.» Finally, in 2006 the owner told the artist to do with the stone what he wanted. After several studies the artist was able to carry out this work by adapting the position of the lion to the shape of the stone, which is why he is seated. The finished work weighs approximately 14,500 kg. It is 3.50 meters wide and 2.50 meters high.
It was inspired by this classic Iberian Lion.
Everything is HUGE at the Quarry
Other adornments
Museum Details
The museum is a personal tribute to the past, including many antique artifacts.
Nearby town of Osuna
Game of thrones hotel
Conclusion
The El Coto de las Canteras was definitely a highlight of our two day road trip drive deeper into the mountains of the Costa Del Sol. It will live on beyond the artist Valdivia Gomez and the quarry owner and commissioner Jesus Ramos Sanchez. We enjoyed taking the slower scenic roads which wound through 360 degree panoramic views of the Olive orchards, which extend for 100 km.
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