The Industrial Arts in Spain Part 16

It would be an interminable task to describe the mult.i.tude of railings similar in richness and good taste to these which happily survive in Spanish cathedrals and churches. It is sufficient to call attention to the following. The _reja_ of the Capilla del Condestable in the cathedral of Burgos, by Christoval de Andino in 1523, has been considered one of the finest specimens of its kind, owing to the perfection with which every detail is carried out. A contemporary writer in describing it says: "Good workmen, and those who wish that their work may have authority and be blameless, must endeavour to be guided by ancient models, as your fellow-citizen, Cristoval de Andino; his works are thereby more elegant and excellent than any others which I have seen up to the present time; if not, judge of his work by looking at the _reja_ which he is making for your lord the Condestable, which is undoubtedly superior to all those which have hitherto been made in Spain." Sagredo--"Medidas del Romano," quoted by Cean Bermudez. In the centre of the upper part, towards the middle, appears the inscription: "Ab. Andino, A.D. MDXXIII." The _reja_ of the _coro_ of the cathedral of Seville, made by the iron-master, Sancho Munoz in 1519, a native of Cuenca, is also very remarkable; besides the finer ornamentation which covers it, it has figures of kings and prophets representing the genealogy of Our Lord. The _reja_ belonging to the _capilla mayor_ of the same cathedral was the work of Friar Francisco de Salamanca, 1518-1533; it is covered with an open-work ornamentation, figures of angels and bas-reliefs, and is terminated in the upper part with a representation of the Entombment of Our Lord. The large _reja_ of the cathedral of Cuenca, made by Arenas in 1517, those at Palencia, by Andino, 1520, and Rodriguez, 1555; the one at the church of Sn. Juan de la Penitencia, Toledo; the beautiful railing at the chapel of Palenzuela, in the cathedral of Salamanca, 1524, and a number of objects of smaller size, such as iron pulpits in the cathedrals of Barcelona, and in some chapels at Burgos, Avila, Palencia, and Toledo, several of which are anterior to the 16th century, are all worthy of the student's especial notice. Among these objects of smaller dimensions special reference must be made to the fine and picturesque _reja_ surrounding the sepulchre of Archbishop Diego de Anaya, in the chapel of Sn.

Bartolome, in the cloister of the cathedral of Salamanca. The beauty of its details and the open-worked inscription which surrounds it, place it at once among the finest specimens of ironwork of the 15th century.

The two window _rejas_ at the house called "de las Conchas" in the same town--an admirable specimen of Burgundian architecture, although restored--may be quoted as excellent models of ironwork applied to civil buildings.

Iron pulpits have been made in Spain with great success. Two interesting examples of the end of the 15th century still exist at the cathedral of Avila. They are hexagonal in shape, and supported by lions' claws; they were originally gilt. One of these pulpits is ornamented in the Flamboyant style, the other in good Renaissance; consult Sir Digby Wyatt's "Architect's Note Book in Spain." Friar Francisco de Salamanca made two interesting iron pulpits for the cathedral of Seville; they are covered with bas-reliefs representing the Evangelists and subjects taken from the Acts of the Apostles and the Apocalypse. The pulpit at the parish church of S^{n.} Gil de Burgos must also be mentioned. Mr. Street, notwithstanding his want of sympathy with every object not strictly of the Middle Ages, says: "It is of very late date, end of the 15th century, but I think it quite worthy of ill.u.s.tration. The support is of iron, resting on stone, and the staircase modern. The framework at the angles, top and bottom, is of wood, upon which the ironwork is laid. The traceries are cut out of two plates of iron, laid one over the other, and the ironwork is in part gilded, but I do not think that this is original. The canopy is of the same age and character, and the whole effect is very rich at the same time that it is very novel. I saw other pulpits, but none so old as this."

Among the applications of iron to decorations of civil architecture must be specially mentioned the nails and knockers on the doors of houses, which are so characteristic of Toledo and other old Spanish towns. This style was imitated from the Moors. Some doors still exist at the Alhambra, Granada, covered with enormous heads of nails of a half-spherical form with embossed pattern. These same nails are constantly to be found on old Spanish houses, to which are added in the angles pieces of iron of a most artistic order. A large number of these nails from Toledo, are in the Kensington Museum. Examples of two are given.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SPANISH NAIL HEADS. SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM.]

After the 16th century this industry loses its artistic interest and importance. Ironwork becomes simply practical and useful, and ceases to reproduce the grand carved and chiselled works of former times. The artistic objects are reduced to specimens on a small scale: door-locks, of which an excellent example exists at the church of Calatravas, Madrid; a weighing machine, made by the locksmith Salinas for the Mint in the 17th century, which was exhibited at the Special Loan Collection of Scientific Apparatus at Kensington in 1876, the fine ornamentation of the clock of the cathedral of Seville, made in the last century by Friar Josef Cordero, and the very remarkable iron locks made by Millan at the beginning of the present century, for the rooms at the palace of the Escurial, called "Piezas de Maderas finas." The art of inlaying iron with gold and silver, const.i.tutes in Spain a special industry; the princ.i.p.al artists who carry it out at the present time with great skill are Messrs. Zuluaga at Madrid, and Alvarez at Toledo. The splendid sepulchre of General Prim at the church of Atocha, Madrid, made entirely of damasquine ironwork, is worthy of the greatest commendation; the fine vases and s.h.i.+elds of _repousse_ ironwork inlaid with gold, made by Alvarez of Toledo, are artistic and excellent revivals of the Milanese work of the 16th century.

IRON MASTERS.

Year in which Locality of they worked. Name. their Residence.

1520. Avila, Fr. Juan de Guadalupe.

1527. Andino, Pedro Seville.

1540. Andino, Christoval Toledo.

1557. Arenas, Hernando Cuenca.

1523. Bartolme, El Maestro Jaen and Seville.

1555. Barco, Alonso Palencia.

1559. Brabo, Hernando Toledo.

1579. Cela, Juan Tomas Zaragoza.

1541. Cespedes, Domingo de Burgos.

1561. Corral, Ruy Diaz del Toledo.

1604. Celma, Juan Bautista Aragon y Galicia.

1692. Conde, Sebastian Seville.

1797. Cordero, Fr. Josef Seville.

1537. Delgado, Juan Seville.

1540. Domingo, Maestro Toledo.

1518. Elias, Joan de Palencia.

1519. Esteban, Maestro Seville.

1494. Frances, Juan Toledo.

1555. Herreros, Llorente Palencia.

1522. Idrobo, Diego Seville.

1524. Juan, Fray Seville.

1518. Lopez, Juan do Urisarri Palencia.

1531. Lemosin Cuenca.

1518. Munoz, Sancho Cuenca.

1389. Morey, Bartolomo Palma de Mallorca.

1555. Moreno, Benegno Palencia.

1565. Pedro, Maestre Palencia.

1533. Palencia, Antonis de Seville.

1607. Penafiel, Luis de Toledo.

1510. Prieto, Fernando Seville.

1512. Prelojero, Juan Palencia.

1555. Rodriguez, Gaspar Palencia.

1607. Rodriguez, Bartolome Toledo.

1607. Silva, Francisco de Toledo.

1533. Salamanca, Francisco de Seville.

1518. Urisarri, Lopez Palencia.

1561. Villalpando Toledo.

1518. Yepes, Juan de Seville.

BRONZES.