The Industrial Arts in Spain Part 26
appear among the sculptors' names, those of the artists who carved the most important stalls of the cathedrals, and other works of art of a similar kind, but the names of those who made cabinets have never yet been published. I have been fortunate enough to be able to collect the following from unpublished doc.u.ments which exist at the Library of the Acad. de San Fernando at Madrid. They worked in the 16th and 17th century.
Aguayo, Urban de, wood carver 1623
Carpintero, Francisco, wood carver 1630
Garcia, Marcos, wood carver of his Majesty 1637-42
Gomez, Juan, carver in wood 1598
Gorostiza, Juan de, carver in wood 1627
Higares, Nicolas de, carver in wood 1625
Hispano, Francisco, carver in ivory 1618
Hoz, Martin de la, carver in wood 1624
Lara, Benardino, de, carver in wood 1612
Lozano, Pedro 1622
Marcos, Juan, carver in wood 1636
Martinez, Andres, carver in wood 1622
Martinez, Dionisio, carver in wood 1621-25
Martinez, Gabriel, carver in wood 1623
Murga, Tomas de, carver of his royal Highness 1614
Osoz, Martin de, wood carver 1623
Parezano, Alonso, wood carver of his Majesty 1623
Pelegrin, Joan, wood carver 1614
Pena, Jeronimo de la, wood carver 1622
Quero, Melchor de, carver in wood 1586
Radis, Francisco, master maker of cabinets in ebony and ivory 1617
Riofrio, Martin de, wood carver 1612
Riofrio, Tomas de, wood carver 1626
Rodriguez, Bernardo de, wood carver 1624
Rodriguez, Domingo, wood carver 1633
Roxo, Domingo, wood carver 1630
Sanchez, Matias, wood carver 1565
Santana, Juan de, wood carver 1617
Sierra, Francisco de, wood carver 1634
Spano, Jeronimo, wood carver 1617
Torres, Juan de, wood carver 1658
Velasco, Lucas de, master in painting and gilding cabinets 1633
Zorrilla, Domingo 1642
Large arm-chairs of a quadrangular form, with arms, back and seat of leather or embroidered stuffs, were used to furnish rooms at the same time as these cabinets; tables, and frames inlaid with ivory, tortoise-sh.e.l.l, ebony, bronze and silver, were hung on the walls; side-boards, beds, and braziers were made of inlaid woods or silver.
Women during the 16th and 17th centuries sat on low stools on the ground. The beds were made of rich brocades embroidered with gold, (_vide_ Madame d'Aunoy), trimmed with point d'Espagne, and on the splendid carpets were placed silver braziers which burnt crushed olive stones. The walls were covered with tapestry and rich silks, and from very early times stamped, painted or gilt leather _guadameciles_ were used in Spain to a very great extent. These _guadameciles_ were imitated in France and other countries in the 16th and 17th centuries; a very large quant.i.ty of this stamped leather is to be met with in England. The Baron Ch. Davillier has lately published an interesting notice on this subject, from which I take the following information. ("Notes sur les cuirs de Cordoue. Guadameciles d'Espagne," Paris, 1878.)
The word guadamecil applied to this leather comes from the village of _Ghadames_ in Africa, celebrated from the 12th century for this industry. It was imported by the Moors into Spain, and Cordova became from the beginning of the Middle Ages the great centre of this production, although other towns, such as Seville, Granada, Toledo, and Barcelona, exported these leathers also. The chronicler Ambrosio de Morales, in his "Las Antiguedades de las ciudades de Espana," Alcala, 1575, says, p. 10, "A great commerce is produced by the exportation of skins, and many have been enriched by it, those prepared at Cordova are so excellent, that now in Spain any goat hide prepared in any locality is called Cordovan. Guadameciles are made of leather, and are so well fashioned in Cordova that none can compete with them; they are exported to the Indies and all Europe. They produce much for the town, and beautify the princ.i.p.al streets, for the hides are hung out to dry after they are painted and gilt, and it is a fine sight to see the walls covered with such variety of colour and form."
A good collection of these guadameciles is in the South Kensington Museum. See Nos. 471 to 485, '69, and 1651 to 1654, '71.
At the end of the 17th and first half of the 18th century, the Baroque or Churrigueresque architecture had such influence over furniture, that although exaggerated examples were very common, they reached in no country to such a pitch as they did in Spain. As specimens, the enormous _retablos_ over the high altars made of gilt carved wood may be mentioned, which are so frequently to be seen in Spanish churches. The exuberance of uncouth heavy ornamentation destroys the regularity and harmony of the general effect. Chairs and tables were made then in the same style, and the _cornucopias_ or decorated mirrors which adorn Spanish churches and sacristy, belong to this period. The name of _cornucopia_ was given in allusion to the horn of abundance.
The French influence of the last century brought the same fashions for furniture into Spain, and we also find there the styles known as Louis XVI. and Empire. Spain follows the general rule; porcelain plaques from the manufactories of Alcora and Retiro were let into furniture, and gilt bronze mountings were very much used. The most important specimens of furniture of the early present century are the splendid rooms inlaid with metal work at the Palace, called Casa del Labrador at Aranjuez, and those known by the name of "Piezas de maderas finas," at the Palace del Escorial. The description given by J. Quevdo, in his "Historia del Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo," Madrid, 1849, gives a good idea of their importance; he says, p. 343, "This series of four small rooms were decorated at a cost of 28,000,000 of reales (280,000). The pavement, friezes, windows, and doors, are made of the most delicate inlaid work representing landscapes, vases and festoons of flowers, which look as if they were painted with a brush. King Charles IV. helped in this work, and they were finished in 1831 under the direction of Angel Maeso. The splendid iron work was made by Ignacio Millan. It is of polished iron inlaid with gold, and most exquisite in workmanship."
IVORIES.
No artistic industry in Spain has left behind so little historical information as ivory carving. Only a very small number of examples of this art have reached us which are of undoubted Spanish manufacture, but a group exists among them which has been but little examined or studied; it is worthy of the utmost attention, on account of its artistic character, and the inferences which may be drawn from it.
We find no allusion in the works of Pliny or St. Isidoro to the existence of the industry of ivory carving in Spain during the Roman and Visigothic dominations. An interesting example of ivory work of the Roman period, consisting of a consular diptych may be seen at the cathedral of Oviedo, which, although certainly not carved in Spain, must not be overlooked here, in order that it may be included among the number of the carvings which have reached us of this period. The two leaves of this diptych are complete, and in a perfect state of preservation: they are 16 inches long by 6 inches wide; in the centres are two medallions in relief with a bust of the consul, who is represented in the act of throwing down with his right hand the _mappa_ or handkerchief, and holding in his left hand a sceptre. The right angles are ornamented with masks, the rest of the surface is plain. The two following inscriptions run along the upper part of the leaves: FLSTRATEGIVS APION. STRATEGIVS APION V. ILL: COM. DEVV. DOMM. ET CONS OR.
Flavius Strategius Apius. Strategius Apius, ill.u.s.trious man, count of the most fervent servants, and consul in ordinary.
This consul belongs to the period of Justinian, by which emperor he was invested with this dignity in A.D. 539. We do not know how this diptych came to Spain; it is generally supposed that it belonged originally to the shrine of the cathedral of Toledo, from whence it was removed to Asturias, with other relics, to be concealed there during the invasion of the Arabs at the beginning of the 8th century. The student will find further details in "Corpus Ins." by Hubner. "Monumentos arquitectonicos." "Mus. Esp. de Antiguedades." Vol. i. p. 385.
From the invasion of the Arabs, which began early in the 8th century, and on the foundation of the empire of the Caliphs of Cordova in the year 756, an era of grandeur began for the Arabs in Spain, coinciding with their independence from the Caliphs of Damascus, which lasted for more than two centuries; during this time Cordova became the most important literary and scientific centre in Europe. The direct influence of the East and Constantinople may be traced without interruption from this time on the culture of the Spanish Arabs. At times this culture was transmitted by the objects of every kind which the Spaniards received from the East, at others by the influence exercised by the artists who established themselves on the territory of the Caliphate of Cordova. The greater part of the industrial arts, which were imported at this time, became naturalized in the country, and we find them developed in every locality of the Peninsula, and although we do not possess any positive historical information stating this fact, which distinctly bears on ivory carvings, we are safe in affirming that the industry existed among the Spanish Arabs in a very high state of perfection during the last years of the Caliphate. The description and details of the most important ivories which have reached us of this period confirms this opinion.
At the South Kensington Museum there is a cylindrical box No. 217-'65 with rounded cover. I copy Mr. Maskell's description of this object, of which a woodcut is given. (Vide "Ivories, Ancient and Mediaeval, in the South Kensington Museum," London, 1872.)
"This beautiful box is carved throughout, except the bottom of it, with interlacing narrow bands forming quatrefoils, in which on the cover are four eagles. These have spread wings and stand erect; well designed and most delicately executed. A small k.n.o.b serves to lift the lid.
[Ill.u.s.tration: IVORY BOX. MOORISH. 10TH CENTURY. SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM.]