Main architectural style in Spain and its New World colonies in the late 15th and 16th centuries.
The name (which comes from a comparison to the intricate work of silversmiths) came to be generally applied to late Gothic and early Renaissance Spanish architecture, which was characterized by minutely detailed relief ornament derived from Moorish, Gothic, and Italian Renaissance sources and applied without regard for structure. Favourite motifs for this ornament included twisted columns, heraldic escutcheons, and sinuous scrolls; clusters of ornament often contrasted with broad expanses of flat wall surface. Over time, the style evolved so that ornamentation became purer and more unified with the overall structure. Outstanding examples of the style include Diego de Siloé's Granada Cathedral (152843), Diego de Riaño's work on the Seville Cathedral ( 0441; 1530), and Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón's facade of the University of Alcalá de Henares (154153).