,,an ,,architect',s ,,note-,,book ,,in  
,,spain  ,,principally ,,illustrating   
,,the ,,domestic ,,architecture ,,of    
,,that ,,country4  ,,by  ,m4 ,,digby    
,,wyatt1 ,m4,a4  ,,slade ,,professor    
,,of ,,fine ,,art ,,in ,,the            
,,university ,,of ,,cambridge1 ,c4      
,,with ,,one ,,hundred ,,of ,,the       
,,author',s ,,sketches1 ,,reproduced    
,,by ,,the ,,autotype ,,mechanical      
,,process4  ,,london3 ,,autotype ,,fine 
,,art ,,company 7,,limited71 #cf1       
,,rathbone ,,place4  ,,to  ,,owen       
,,jones1 ,,esq4  ,,knight ,,of ,,the    
,,orders ,,of ,,saints ,,maurice ,,and  
,,lazarus ,,of ,,italy1 ,,and ,,of      
,,leopold ,,of ,,belgium1 ,,member ,,of 
,,the ,,royal ,,academy ,,of ,,saint    
,,ferdinand ,,of ,,spain1 ,c41 ,c41 ,c4 
,my dear ,owen1       ,the last book ,i 
wrote ,i dedicated to my brother by     
blood2 the      present ,i dedicate to  
you--my brother in ,art4 ,let it be a   
record of      the value ,i set upon all
 you have taught me1 and upon your true 

friendship4         ,ever yours1        
,m4 ,,digby ,,wyatt4       #cg1         
,tavistock ,place1 ,w4,c4               
,october1 #ahgb4     ,,preface4         
,before quitting ,england for a first   
visit to ,spain in the ,autumn of #ahfi1
 ,i made up my mind both to see and draw
 as much of the ,architectural remains  
of that country as the time and means at
 my disposal would permit2 and further  
determined so to draw as to admit of the
 publication of my sketches and portions
 of my notes on the objects represented1
 in the precise form in which they might
 be made4 ,i was influenced in that     
determination by the consciousness that 
almost from day to day the glorious past
 was being trampled out in ,spain2 and  
that whatever issue1 prosperous or      
otherwise1 the fortunes of that much    
distracted country might take in the    
future1 the minor monuments of ,art at  
least which adorned its soil1 would     
rapidly disappear4 ,their disappearance 
would result naturally from what is     

called progress if ,spain should revive2
 while their perishing through neglect  
and wilful damage1 or peculation1 would 
inevitably follow1 if the ever          
smouldering embers of domestic          
revolution should burst afresh into     
flame4 ,such has been the invariable    
action of those fires which in all      
history have melted away the most       
refined evidences of man's intelligence1
 leaving behind only scanty1 and often  
all but shapeless1 relics of the richest
 and ripest genius4  ,it is difficult to
 realise the rapidity with which1 almost
 under one's eyes1 the ,spain of history
 and romance is casting its skin4       
,travelling even with so recent and so  
excellent a handbook as ,o',shea's of   
#ahfi1 ,i noted the following wanton    
acts of ,vandalism and destruction1     
committed upon monuments of the greatest
 archological and artistic interest     
since he wrote4 ,at ,seville1 the       
,church of ,san ,miguel1 one of the     
oldest and finest in the city1 was      

senselessly demolished by the populace  
as a sort of auto-da-f1 and by way of   
commemoration of the revolution of      
,september1 #ahfg4 ,in exactly the same 
way the fine ,byzantine churches of ,san
 ,juan at ,lerida1 and of ,san ,miguel  
at ,barcelona1 have been improved off   
the face of the earth4 ,church plate1   
,custodias and ,virils of the ,d',arfs1 
,becerrias1 and other ,art workmen1 have
 vanished from the treasuries of all the
 great ecclesiastical structures2       
whether sold1 melted down1 or only      
hidden1 quien sabe8 ,the beautiful      
,moorish decorations of the ,alcazar at 
,segovia had been all but entirely      
destroyed by fire1 attributed to the    
careless cigar-lighting of the ,cadets  
to whom the structure had been          
abandoned4 ,the finest old mansion in   
,barcelona1 the ,casa de ,gralla1       
probably the masterpiece of ,damian     
,forment1 and dating from the           
commencement of the fourteenth century1 
has been pulled down by the ,duke of    

,medina ,celi to form a new street4 ,the
 beautiful wooden ceiling of the ,casa  
del ,infantado at ,guadalaxara1 the     
finest of its kind in ,spain1 in the    
absence of its owner1 who ,i was told   
lives in ,russia1 is coming down in     
large pieces1 and once fallen1 ,i       
scarcely think it will be in the power  
of living workmen to make it good again4
 ,the exquisite ,moorish ,palace of the 
,generalife at ,granada1 second only to 
the ,alhambra and the ,alcazar at       
,seville1 is never visited by its       
proprietor1 and is now one mass of      
white-wash1 a victim of the zeal for    
cleanliness of a ,sanitary              
,administrador4 ,in short to visit a    
,spanish city now1 by the light shed    
upon its ancient glories by the         
industrious ,ponz1 is simply to have    
forced upon one's attention the most    
striking evidence of the vanity of human
 things1 and man's inherent tendency to 
destroy4  ,one of the most painful      
sensations the lover of the ,art of the 

,past cannot but experience in ,spain1  
is the feeling of its dissonance from1  
and irreconcileability with1 the wants  
and economical necessities of to-day4   
,the truth is that at the present       
moment1 amongst the many difficult      
problems which surround and beset the   
ruling powers1 one of the most puzzling 
is to find fitting uses for the many    
vast structures which have fallen into  
the hands of the ,government4 ,churches 
in number and size out of all proportion
 to the wants of the population1        
monasteries entirely without monks1     
convents with scarcely any nuns1 ,jesuit
 seminaries without ,jesuits1 exchanges 
without merchants1 colleges without     
students1 tribunals of the ,holy        
,inquisition with1 thank ,god6 no       
,inquisitors1 and palaces without       
princes1 are really drugs in the market2
 too beautiful to destroy1 too costly to
 properly maintain1 and for the original
 purposes for which they were planned   
and constructed at incredible outlay    

they stand now almost useless4 ,for the 
most part1 the grand architectural      
monuments of the country are now like   
,dickens' used-up giants kept only to   
wait upon the dwarfs4 ,among a few      
instances of such1 may be noticed the   
magnificent foundation of the noblest   
,spanish ecclesiastic1 ,ximenez4 ,his   
,college at ,alcala de ,heares 7see     
etext transcriber note7 is turned into a
 young ladies' boarding-school2 the     
splendid ,convent of the ,knights of    
,santiago at ,leon1 the masterpiece of  
,juan de ,badajoz1 dedicated to ,saint  
,mark1 and one of the finest buildings  
in ,spain1 is now in charge of a        
solitary policeman and his wife1        
awaiting its possible conversion into an
 agricultural college2 the grand ,palace
 of the ,dukes of ,alva at ,seville is  
let out in numerous small tenements and 
enriched with unlimited whitewash2 the  
,colegiata of ,san ,gregorio at         
,valladolid1 another of the magnificent 
foundations of ,cardinal ,ximenez1 and  

the old cathedral at ,lerida1 the       
richest ,byzantine monument in ,spain1  
are now both barracks2--the vast        
exchanges of ,seville and ,saragossa are
 tenantless and generally shut up2 the  
beautiful ,casa de los ,abades at       
,seville is converted into a boy's      
school and lodging-house for numerous   
poor tenants1 the ,casa del ,infante at 
,saragossa1 containing the most richly  
sculptured ,renaissance ,patio in       
,spain1 is chiefly occupied as a livery 
stable-keeper's establishment2 ,cardinal
 ,mendoza's famous ,hospital of the     
,holy ,cross at ,toledo is now an       
,infantry ,college2 the great monastery 
of the ,cartuja near ,seville1 with one 
of the finest ,mudejar wooden ceilings  
in the country1 is turned into          
,pickman's china factory2 the ,taller   
del ,moro a model ,moorish house with   
its beautiful decorations1 at ,toledo1  
is now only a carpenter's workshop and  
storehouse2 the celebrated establishment
 of ,el ,cristo de la ,victoria at      

,malaga1 with all its glorious          
associations with the ,reyes            
,cattolicos1 is occupied as a military  
hospital2 and so on 'ad infinitum4'     
,every record the pen and pencil of any 
accurate observer can preserve at this  
juncture of the fading glories of the   
past in ,spain is1 as it were1 snatching
 a brand from the inevitable fire which 
has already consumed inestimable        
treasures upon its soil4 ,it was to give
 a stamp of truth and authenticity to   
the few such records ,i might be enabled
 to make1 that ,i determined to complete
 them in the actual presence as it were 
of the object illustrated1 and to admit 
of no intervention between my own hand1 
and the eye of any student willing to   
honour my work with his attention4 ,my  
sketches might no doubt have gained in  
beauty by being transcribed on stone or 
wood by some artist more skilful than ,i
 am1 but as any such alteration would   
detract from their simple veracity1 ,i  
preferred to make them at once upon the 

spot with anastatic ink1 in order that  
they might be printed just as they were 
executed4 ,working with such ink in the 
open air is difficult1 and the result   
capricious1 ,i have therefore to ask for
 some indulgence1 and to express a hope 
that any shortcomings in the drawings   
may be overlooked in the obvious        
interest of the subjects pourtrayed4    
,could ,i but have known1 on leaving    
,england1 that my sketches could have   
been so successfully transferred to     
collodion1 and printed therefrom by the 
beautiful ,autotype mechanical process1 
as they have been since my return1 ,i   
might have spared myself much extra     
trouble and anxiety1 and have probably  
attained a much better result with less 
effort4 ,in order to retain as much     
local colour as possible1 ,i have       
preferred1 even in the binding of this  
volume1 to take its ornament in         
fac-simile from a beautiful little      
,mudejar casket of which ,i am the      
fortunate possessor1 rather than to     

trust to my own powers to design        
something specially characteristic4  ,i 
have further to ask corresponding       
indulgence for any literary             
insufficiencies my text may present4    
,although for some years a not          
inattentive student of ,spanish art and 
literature1 ,i could not1 and cannot but
 feel that my acquaintance with the     
country was1 and is insufficient for    
writing worthy notes even upon its      
architectural monuments1 after the      
excellent works which have been already 
written by such of my countrymen as     
,ford1 ,street1 ,stirling1 and ,o',shea4
 ,at the same time1 considering that to 
publish my sketches altogether without  
explanatory letter-press would greatly  
detract from their interest and         
consequent usefulness1 ,i have brought  
into their present shape the scanty     
notes made upon the spot1 more or less  
directly illustrative of the subjects   
upon which my pencil found occupation4  
,it will be obvious1 it is hoped1 that  

in the selection of subjects for        
illustration1 an endeavour has been made
 to avoid in any wise trenching upon or 
clashing with those already fully       
treated in the admirable work on        
,spanish ,ecclesiastical ,architecture  
by ,mr4 ,g4 ,e4 ,street4 ,whilst he has 
turned from1 ,i have turned towards1 the
 ,plateresque and later styles of       
,spain1 and whilst he has sought        
specially for what might be useful to   
church-builders1 my aim has been rather 
to collect hints for house-builders4    
,thanks to him1 and others like him1 we 
have now been left with more to learn in
 the latter direction than in the       
former4  ,the following was my line of  
tour1 and as it comprises most of what  
is1 ,i believe1 best worth seeing in    
,spain in the way of ,art1 with the     
notable exceptions of ,santiago1        
,oviedo1 ,murcia1 ,cuenca1 ,placencia1  
,alicante and ,valencia1 which want of  
time did not permit me to include1 ,i do
 not hesitate to commend it to those1   

desirous1 as ,i was1 of seeing as much  
as possible of what was excellent or    
curious within a short space of time4   
,it was as follows1 from ,london via    
,paris1 ,bordeaux1 and ,bayonne to      
,spain1 beginning with ,burgos1 then    
successively visiting ,valladolid       
7rail71 ,venta de ,baos 7rail71 ,leon   
7rail71 ,zamora and ,salamanca1 7by     
diligence from ,leon7 ,avila 7by        
diligence from ,salamanca7 ,escorial    
7rail71 ,madrid 7rail71 ,segovia 7by    
diligence from ,madrid and back71       
,alcala de ,heares 7by rail from ,madrid
 and back71 ,toledo 7by rail from       
,madrid and back71 ,cordoba 7rail71     
,sevilla 7rail71 ,cadiz 7by the         
,guadalquivir steamer71 ,gibraltar 7by  
steamer71 ,malaga 7by steamer71 ,granada
 7rail and diligence17 ,andujar         
7diligence17 ,madrid 7rail71 a second   
time1 ,guadalajara 7rail71 ,saragossa   
7rail71 ,lerida 7rail71 ,barcelona      
7rail71 and ,gerona 7rail71 thence to   
the frontier by diligence1 and home by  

rail1 vi ,perpignan1 ,carcassonne1      
,toulouse and ,paris4  ,to preserve some
 sort of order1 ,i have arranged my     
sketches as they were executed in point 
of time1 and thrown my notes into a     
corresponding sequence4  ,to assert that
 ,spain can teach the lessons to the    
architect which may be gained from      
,italy1 or even from ,france would1 ,i  
think1 be to claim too much for her1 but
 on the other hand1 it should be        
remembered1 that it is a mine which has 
been very much less exhausted4 ,to the  
interest and grandeur of its ,northern  
,gothic buildings1 ,mr4 ,street has done
 a justice long denied to them2 while   
,girault de ,prangey1 and above all     
,owen ,jones1 have helped us to a right 
appreciation of the works of those      
masterly artificers1 the ,moors1 who    
seem to have possessed an intuitive love
 for the beautiful in structure4  ,it is
 with no small pleasure that ,i have    
laboured to direct attention to other   
monuments1 than those they have so      

satisfactorily illustrated1 of a land   
from travelling in which ,i have derived
 great delight1 and much instruction4   
,if asked what predominant sensation    
,spanish ,architecture had produced in  
my mind1 ,i think ,i should be inclined 
to say1 that of the manifestation of an 
entire indifference to expense4 ,no one 
appears to have counted the cost of the 
work upon which he engaged4 ,whether it 
was a medival architect entering upon   
the vast construction of ,cathedrals1   
such as ,seville1 ,toledo or ,leon1 a   
,renaissance architect dashing upon the 
immense laying out of buildings such as 
the ,cathedrals of ,salamanca or        
,granada1 or an ,herrera plunging into  
such stone quarries as the ,escorial or 
the ,cathedral at ,valladolid1 not a    
shadow of doubt ever seems to have      
crossed the mind of the beginners1 that 
some one would complete what they began4
  ,such peculiarities of national       
character are apt to beget proverbs1 and
 we accordingly find the grave          

ponderosity1 and at the same time power1
 of the ,spaniard in the undertakings of
 his palmy days1 thus characterised in  
comparison with those of the other      
peoples of ,europe4  ,in their          
undertakings1 says ,der curieuse        
,antiquarius durch ,europam1#a the      
natives of different ,european countries
 are assumed by old legends to proceed  
thus3--      ,der ,frantzose wie ein    
,adler1      ,der ,deutsche wie ein ,br1
      ,der ,italianer wie ein ,fuchs1   
,der ,spanier wie ein ,elephant1        
,der ,engellnder wie ein ,lw4#b  ,to    
some1 and but few1 ,spanish architects  
was it given to see ended what they     
commenced1 and even such favourites of  
fortune generally suffered from a       
curtailment of their too ambitious      
designs4  ,i could not but feel1 in     
looking at the works of ,herrera1 and   
indeed at those of several other men1   
such as ,diego de ,siloe1 ,gil de       
,ontaon1 ,henrique de ,egas1 ,alonso    
,covarrubbias1 and ,juan de ,badajoz1   

that there exists for architecture a    
just mean between their frequent        
extravagance1 and the sordid and shabby 
spirit in which we from time to time    
approach the question of expenditure    
upon public works4 ,the economy which   
consists in sobriety and simplicity of  
parts1 especially in structures destined
 to subserve ordinary uses1 is as much  
to be admired1 as the economy which aims
 at the combination of magnificence with
 cheese-paring is to be deprecated and  
despised4     ,,contents   ,,plate ,i4  
,,burgos4  ,the ,arco de ,santa ,maria  
,,plate ,,ii4 ,,burgos4  ,casa de       
,miranda  ,,plate ,,iii4 ,,valladolid4  
,college of ,san ,gregorio  ,,plate     
,,iv4 ,,valladolid4  ,patio de ,san     
,gregorio  ,,plate ,v4 ,,valladolid4    
,patio de ,san ,gregorio  ,,plate ,,vi4 
,,valladolid4  ,small ,patio1 ,colegio  
de ,san ,gregorio  ,,plate ,,vii4       
,,valladolid4  ,la ,casa del ,infantado 
,,plate ,,viii4 ,,valladolid4  ,church  
of ,san ,isidro  ,,plate ,,ix4 ,,leon4  

,convent of ,san ,marcos  ,,plate ,x4   
,,leon4  ,cloister of the ,convent of   
,san ,marcos  ,,plate ,,xi4 ,,leon4     
,exterior of the ,casa de ,los ,gusmanes
  ,,plate ,,xii4 ,,leon4  ,patio of the 
,casa de ,los ,gusmanes  ,,plate ,,xiii4
 ,,leon4  ,detail from a ,house in the  
,calle de ,la ,tesoriera  ,,plate ,,xiv4
 ,,salamanca4  ,exterior of the ,casa de
 ,las ,conchas  ,,plate ,,xv4           
,,salamanca4  ,patio of the ,casa de    
,las ,conchas  ,,plate ,,xvi4           
,,salamanca4  ,staircase of the ,casa de
 ,las ,conchas  ,,plate ,,xvii4         
,,salamanca4  ,window from the ,casa de 
,las ,conchas  ,,plate ,,xviii4         
,,salamanca4  ,window in the ,patio of  
the ,casa de ,las ,conchas  ,,plate     
,,xix4 ,,salamanca4  ,external ,window  
of the ,casa de ,las ,conchas  ,,plate  
,,xx4 ,,salamanca4  ,exterior of the    
,casa ,monterey  ,,plate ,,xxi4         
,,salamanca4  ,renaissance ,house       
opposite ,san ,benito  ,,plate ,,xxii4  
,,salamanca4  ,renaissance ,house in the

 ,calle del ,aguila  ,,plate ,,xxiii4   
,,avila4  ,entrance ,gateway of the     
,casa ,polentina  ,,plate ,,xxiv4       
,,avila4  ,the ,patio of the ,casa      
,polentina  ,,plate ,,xxv4 ,,avila4     
,iron ,pulpit in the ,cathedral  ,,plate
 ,,xxvi4 ,,avila4  ,iron ,pulpit in the 
,cathedral  ,,plate ,,xxvii4 ,,escorial4
  ,general view of the ,escorial        
,,plate ,,xxviii4 ,,segovia4  ,gateway  
in the ,city ,walls  ,,plate ,,xxix4    
,,segovia4  ,archway in the ,hall of the
 ,kings  ,,plate ,,xxx4 ,,segovia4      
,detail from the ,alcazar  ,,plate      
,,xxxi4 ,,segovia4  ,exterior ,view of  
the ,monastery of ,el ,parral  ,,plate  
,,xxxii4 ,,alcala-,,de-,,henares4       
,exterior of the ,colegio de ,san       
,ildefonso  ,,plate ,,xxxiii4           
,,alcala-,,de-,,henares4  ,window of the
 ,arzobispado  ,,plate ,,xxxiv4         
,,alcala-,,de-,,henares4  ,detail from  
the ,arzobispado  ,,plate ,,xxxv4       
,,toledo4  ,view of the ,remains of a   
,moorish ,fortress on the ,river        

,,plate ,,xxxvi4 ,,toledo4  ,bridge of  
,alcantara  ,,plate ,,xxxvii4 ,,toledo4 
,bridge of ,san ,martin  ,,plate        
,,xxxviii4 ,,toledo4  ,moorish ,gateway 
by the ,bridge of ,alcantara  ,,plate   
,,xxxix4 ,,toledo4  ,entrance ,archway  
of the ,zocodover  ,,plate ,,xl4        
,,toledo4  ,interior of the ,taller del 
,moro4  ,,plate ,,xli4 ,,toledo4  ,tower
 of the ,church of ,la ,magdalena       
,,plate ,,xlii4 ,,toledo4  ,moorish     
,tower of ,san ,pedro ,martire  ,,plate 
,,xliii4 ,,toledo4  ,tower of the       
,church of ,sant' ,iago de ,la ,vega    
,,plate ,,xliv4 ,,toledo4  ,external    
,view of the ,hospital of the ,holy     
,cross  ,,plate ,,xlv4 ,,toledo4        
,cortile of the ,hospital of the ,holy  
,cross  ,,plate ,,xlvi4 ,,toledo4       
,doorway from the ,hospital of the ,holy
 ,cross  ,,plate ,,xlvii4 ,,toledo4     
,entrance ,gateway to the ,alcazar      
,,plate ,,xlviii4 ,,toledo4  ,patio of  
the ,hospital of ,cardinal ,tavera      
,,plate ,,xlix4 ,,cordoba4  ,exterior of

 the ,casa ,cabello  ,,plate ,l4        
,,seville4  ,church of ,la ,feria       
,,plate ,,li4 ,,seville4  ,church of    
,san ,marcos  ,,plate ,,lii4 ,,seville4 
,remains of ,mudejar ,house near ,la    
,feria  ,,plate ,,liii4 ,,seville4      
,mudejar ,window in the ,fonda de       
,madrid  ,,plate ,,liv4 ,,seville4      
,view in the ,upper ,story of one of the
 ,patios of the ,casa de ,pilatus       
,,plate ,,lv4 ,,seville4  ,detail from a
 ,doorway in the ,upper ,floor of one of
 the ,patios of the ,house of ,pilate   
,,plate ,,lvi4 ,,seville4  ,one of the  
,arches of the ,patio of the ,casa ,alba
  ,,plate ,,lvii4 ,,seville4  ,detail   
from the ,patio of the ,casa ,alba      
,,plate ,,lviii4 ,,seville4  ,arches    
from the ,casa de ,los ,abades  ,,plate 
,,lix4 ,,seville4  ,view in the ,patio  
of the ,casa de ,los ,abades  ,,plate   
,,lx4 ,,seville4  ,a ,peep into an      
,ordinary ,patio  ,,plate ,,lxi4        
,,cadiz4  ,internal ,view of the        
,cathedral  ,,plate ,,lxii4 ,,malaga4   

,the ,fountain of the ,alameda  ,,plate 
,,lxiii4 ,,malaga4  ,renaissance ,house 
in the ,calle ,sant' ,augustin  ,,plate 
,,lxiv4 ,,malaga4  ,old ,window of the  
,ospedale de ,santo ,tom  ,,plate ,,lxv4
 ,,malaga4  ,knocker of the ,monastery  
of ,sant' ,jago  ,,plate ,,lxvi4        
,,granada4  ,remains of the ,alhambra as
 seen from the ,albaycin  ,,plate       
,,lxvii4 ,,granada4  ,entrance to the   
,bosqu del ,alhambra  ,,plate ,,lxviii4 
,,granada4  ,puerta de ,justicia        
,,plate ,,lxix4 ,,granada4--,,the       
,,alhambra4  ,sala de ,embajadores      
,,plate ,,lxx4 ,,granada4--,,the        
,,alhambra4  ,stucco ,detail from the   
,hall of the ,ambassadors  ,,plate      
,,lxxi4 ,,granada4--,,the ,,alhambra4   
,detail of ,glass ,inlay from the ,hall 
of the ,ambassadors  ,,plate ,,lxxii4   
,,granada4--,,the ,,alhambra4  ,mosaic  
from the ,hall of the ,ambassadors      
,,plate ,,lxxiii4 ,,granada4--,,the     
,,alhambra4  ,niche in ,la ,sala de ,las
 dos ,hermanas  ,,plate ,,lxxiv4        

,,granada4--,,the ,,alhambra4  ,stucco  
,detail from the ,sala del ,tribunal    
,,plate ,,lxxv4 ,,granada4  ,view of the
 ,cathedral from the back of the ,high  
,altar  ,,plate ,,lxxvi4 ,,granada4     
,the ,reja of the ,reyes ,catolicos     
,,plate ,,lxxvii4 ,,granada4  ,view of  
the ,arzobispado  ,,plate ,,lxxviii4    
,,guadalaxara4  ,palacio de ,los ,duques
 del ,infantado  ,,plate ,,lxxix4       
,,guadalaxara4  ,doorway of the         
,monastery of ,san ,miguel  ,,plate     
,,lxxx4 ,,guadalaxara4  ,casa del ,duqu 
de ,ribas  ,,plate ,,lxxxi4             
,,guadalaxara4  ,door ,handle from the  
,calle del ,barrio ,nuevo  ,,plate      
,,lxxxii4 ,,saragossa4  ,view of the    
,patio of the ,palacio de ,la ,infanta  
,,plate ,,lxxxiii4 ,,saragossa4  ,detail
 of the ,arcading of the ,first ,floor  
of the ,casa de ,la ,infanta  ,,plate   
,,lxxxiv4 ,,saragossa4  ,exterior of the
 ,exchange  ,,plate ,,lxxxv4            
,,saragossa4  ,patio of the ,casa de    
,comercio  ,,plate ,,lxxxvi4            

,,saragossa4  ,patio of the ,house of   
the ,marquis of ,monistol  ,,plate      
,,lxxxvii4 ,,saragossa4  ,bronze        
,renaissance ,knocker of a ,house in the
 ,plazuela ,aduana  ,,plate ,,lxxxviii4 
,,lerida4  ,tower of the ,church of ,san
 ,lorenzo  ,,plate ,,lxxxix4            
,,barcelona4  ,old ,house in the ,calle 
de ,santa ,lucia  ,,plate ,,xc4         
,,barcelona4  ,patio of the ,casa de la 
,diputacion  ,,plate ,,xci4 ,,barcelona4
  ,detail from the ,casa de la          
,diputacion  ,,plate ,,xcii4            
,,barcelona4  ,window from the ,casa de 
la ,diputacion  ,,plate ,,xciii4        
,,barcelona4  ,doorway in the ,town     
,hall  ,,plate ,,xciv4 ,,barcelona4     
,knocker of an old ,house in the ,calle 
,santa ,lucia  ,,plate ,,xcv4           
,,barcelona4  ,knocker to an old ,house 
in the ,calle ,santa ,lucia  ,,plate    
,,xcvi4 ,,barcelona4  ,courtyard of an  
old ,house in the ,calle de ,moncara    
,,plate ,,xcvii4 ,,barcelona4           
,staircase of an old ,house in the      

,calle de ,moncara  ,,plate ,,xcviii4   
,,gerona4  ,old ,house near the         
,estrella de ,oro  ,,plate ,,xcix4      
,,gerona4  ,upper ,part of an old ,house
 and ,spire of the ,church of ,san      
,feliu  ,,plate ,c4 ,,gerona4  ,old     
,walls near the ,monastery of ,san      
,pedro  ,,footnotes  ,,etext            
,,transcriber ,,note     ,,plate #a     
,,burgos  ,,the ,,arco ,,de ,,santa     
,,maria  ,,mdw #ahfi   ,illustration3   
,,plate #a  ,,burgos  ,,the ,,arco ,,de 
,,santa ,,maria  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate
 ,i4  ,,burgos4  ,,the ,,arco ,,de      
,,santa ,,maria4   ,,it is sad to notice
 how few traces beyond its magnificent  
,cathedral are left in this1 the capital
 of old ,castile1 of those ,castellanos 
rancios y viejos1 who once so splendidly
 represented the pride and power of     
,spanish chivalry4 ,of the sixteen      
golden castles the city bears upon its  
stately arms how insignificant are the  
relics8 ,the remains of its walls and   
bastions attest the many centuries      

during which it held its own against all
 comers1 ,christian or ,infidel4 ,of    
these walls1 our sketch represents a    
portion in which there is little doubt  
the ,renaissance frontispiece and       
archway replaced an older and sterner   
portal1 better suited probably for      
defence than decoration4 ,the legend    
runs that this faade was executed by the
 citizens1 who had been exhibiting      
proclivities of far too ,communistic a  
character to be agreeable to so         
high-handed a sovereign as ,charles ,v41
 in order to propitiate that potentate1 
and to commemorate a visit1 on his part 
at least1 of a conciliatory character4  
,it would seem1 however1 that in spite  
of the loyalty which induced the        
,burgalese to assign the post of honour 
7always under the invocation of the     
,virgen sin pecado concebida7 to the    
statue of the ,king1 they took good care
 to give him for companions ,nuo        
,rasura1 and ,lain ,calvo1 whom they had
 themselves elected in the tenth century

 to rule over them1 and protect their   
,communal rights4 ,the maintenance of   
these had been somewhat interfered with 
by the ,king of ,leon1 ,fruela ,,ii41   
who had invited the chief citizens to a 
banquet1 and then quietly removed them  
out of his royal way by summarily       
putting them all to death4 ,amongst     
other statues which adorn this gateway  
are to be found those of ,don ,diego    
,parcelos1 the founder of the city in   
#hhd1 of the ,cid--the pride of ,spain  
and especially of ,burgos1 in which city
 he was born1 and where his bones still 
rest--and of ,fernan ,gonzalez who      
redeemed the district from the yoke of  
the ,kings of ,leon1 to whom it had been
 tributary1 and who constituted himself 
and his family its protectors1 under the
 style and title of ,condes de          
,castilla4  ,the architecture of this   
frontispiece which gains great          
importance and much picturesque effect  
from its association with the bartizans 
and turrets of the medival gateway1 has 

been attributed to ,felipe de ,borgoa1  
not apparently on any other grounds than
 the facts that he was an inhabitant of 
the city in whom his fellow-citizens    
felt great pride1 and that he was       
employed upon the ,crucero of the       
cathedral at about the period when this 
grand portal was probably erected4      
,illustration3 ,,plate #b  ,,burgos     
,,casa ,,de ,,miranda  ,,mdw #ahfi      
,,plate ,,ii4  ,,burgos4  ,,patio ,,of  
,,the ,,casa ,,de ,,miranda4   ,,this   
plate introduces us to the most striking
 feature of all important ,spanish      
houses1 the ,patio1 or internal         
courtyard1 answering to and perpetuating
 the ,atrium of ,roman architecture1    
with its impluvium and compluvium1 and  
corresponding with the ordinary ,cortile
 of the ,italians4 ,it is usually       
rectangular in plan1 and entirely       
surrounded upon at least two stories by 
arcading1 behind which run passages into
 which open the doors of every principal
 set of apartments of the house4 ,there 

are rarely many windows in the walls of 
the ,patios1 as the rooms generally     
occupy the whole width intervening      
between the ,patio walls1 and the       
external walls of the house from which  
the light is mainly derived4 ,there are1
 however1 usually more windows on the   
lower story of the ,patio than on the   
upper1 since the chief saloons requiring
 most light were on the first floor1    
while much of the lower floor was       
occupied as was also usual in ,italy1 by
 retainers1 servants1 poor guests1      
mendicant friars and administradores--to
 say nothing of mules1 and horses with  
stores and munitions of all sorts4      
,nothing can be more picturesque or     
better suited to the climate than these 
,patios1 since owing to the deep arcades
 which surround the open part 7the      
,cavdium7 of the court-yard upon more   
stories than one1 there is always some  
portion of the arcade in which shelter  
can be obtained from sun1 rain1 or wind1
 and in which the occupants of the      

several apartments can sit and work1 or 
lounge and smoke1 in abundant but not   
unbearable light1 and perfect comfort4  
,this facility of outlet enables them1  
during the hours when the sun shines    
most fiercely1 to keep their living and 
sleeping rooms dark and cool1 and in    
exactly the state to make the midday    
meal and subsequent siesta truly        
luxurious and refreshing4  ,one open    
staircase usually connects the upper and
 lower arcades2 admission is rarely     
given to the whole building at more than
 one point1 the great door1 adjoining   
which is almost always to be found the  
concierge1 the janitor of the old ,roman
 house1 upon the model of which the     
,spaniards probably founded their notion
 of a residence at once noble and       
comfortable4  ,little need be said      
concerning the particular house         
sketched4 ,it is one of the few left in 
,burgos to bear witness to the grandeur 
of its old aristocracy4 ,though once the
 residence of the powerful ,condes de   

,miranda of the family of the ,zunigas1 
it is now but a half ruined and entirely
 dirty lodging-house for the lower      
classes in a poor and neglected part of 
the city4 ,a fine dedication to the most
 illustrious ,seor ,don ,francisco de   
uiga y ,avellaneda1 ,conde de ,miranda1 
,seor de la ,villa ,daa1 y de la ,casa  
de ,avellaneda1 by ,pedro ,martinez the 
,printer of ,seville1 in #aefe1 sets    
forth the arms as well as the style and 
title of the nobleman by whom1 or by    
whose next descendant the ,casa de      
,miranda of ,burgos was probably built4 
,the present representative of this     
family is no other than the ,conde de   
,montijo1 head of the house to which    
,her ,majesty the ,empress of the       
,french belongs4 ,the remarkable ,casa  
solar of ,pearanda de ,duero1 within an 
easy excursion from ,burgos1 once a     
magnificent villa of the ,zunigas1 was  
one of the hereditary possessions of her
 sister the ,duchess of ,alba4  ,there  
are some few other old houses remaining 

in ,burgos1 the most remarkable1 for    
oddity rather than beauty1 being the    
,casa del ,cordon2 so called from its   
faade1 which exhibits a gigantic rope   
representing the ,cordon of the         
,teutonic order1 encircling and uniting1
 the arms of the ,velascos1 ,mendozas1  
and ,figueras with those of ,royalty4   
,it was erected by a ,count ,haro1      
,constable of ,castile1 at the end of   
the fifteenth century4 ,it is now the   
residence of the ,capitan ,general of   
the ,province1 and the property of the  
,duca de ,frias1 a descendant of ,count 
,haro4  ,the ,casa de ,miranda is to be 
found in ,burgos1 in the ,calle de la   
,calera1 not far from the ,barrio de la 
,vega4 ,no ,english visitor to ,burgos  
should omit to see the ,convent of las  
,huelgas1 most interesting not only as  
founded by an ,english ,princess1       
7,leonora1 daughter of ,henry ,,ii1     
married to ,alfonso ,,viii71 in #aahj2  
but as evidencing in its design1 which  
is exceptionally grave1 simple1 and well

 proportioned1 an unquestionably        
,english architectural influence4  ,of  
the ,cathedral1 remains of the ,castle1 
and the ,convent of the ,cartuja it is  
needless to speak here1 since they are  
certain not to be overlooked by the     
traveller4 ,mr4 ,waring1 who has so well
 drawn the marvels of the last mentioned
 building1#c has given some pretty      
illustrations of ornamental detail from 
the fine ,renaissance ,ospedal del ,rey1
 which may be found not far from the    
,convent of las ,huelgas4#d             
,illustration3 ,,plate #c  ,valladolid4 
,college of ,san ,gregorio4  ,,mdw #ahfi
     ,,plate ,,iii4  ,,valladolid4      
,,colegio ,,de ,,san ,,gregorio4        
,,from early in the fifteenth century1  
through the reigns of ,juan ,,ii4 and   
his successors1 until the elevation of  
,madrid into the ,capital by ,charles   
the ,fifth1 and into the only and       
official seat of the ,court by ,philip  
,,ii4 ,valladolid was emphatically the  
,royal city of ,spain4 ,it is there1    

accordingly1 that the traveller would   
naturally look for relics of ,royal and 
courtly magnificence as displayed in the
 stirring times during which the        
over-elaboration of ,gothic ,art began  
to merge itself1 in sympathy with the   
,medicean energies of ,rome and         
,florence1 into the style of the        
,renaissance as practised at a later    
date by many citizens of ,valladolid1   
such as ,antonio de ,arphe1 and ,juan de
 ,arphe y ,villafae1 master-workers in  
gold and silver2 as ,juan de ,juni1 and 
,hernandez1 the marvellous wood-carvers 
and sculptors1 authors of the peculiar  
gilt painted groups for which the city  
became so famous2 and as ,alonzo        
,berruguete1 ,henrique de ,egas1 and    
,macias ,carpintero masters of works of 
no mean repute4 ,of all the glorious    
objects these men and their disciples   
and contemporaries produced in          
,valladolid a few disjecta membra alone 
remain4 ,of the very building1 an       
outlying fragment of which forms the    

subject of the sketch under notice1 all 
but the actual structure was destroyed  
by the ,french under ,napoleon ,i4 in   
person1 who in #ahji inaugurated a reign
 of terror in the city4 ,no where1 in   
,spain1 as ,ford writes in #ahde1 has   
recent destruction been more busy 7than 
in ,valladolid72 witness ,san ,benito1  
,san ,diego1 ,san ,francisco1 ,san      
,gabriel1 c41 almost swept away1 their  
precious altars broken1 their splendid  
sepulchres dashed to pieces2 hence the  
sad void created in the treasures of art
 and religion which are recorded by     
previous travellers while now-a-days the
 native in this mania of modernising is 
fast destroying those venerable vestiges
 of ,charles ,v4 and ,philip ,,ii4 which
 escaped the ,gaul4 ,the situation of   
this city on the direct line of railway 
communication between ,france and       
,madrid has greatly helped forward this 
modernising and even as this is written1
 numerous old streets are being pulled  
down to make way for the convenient1 but

 far from picturesque monotony in which 
the nineteenth century usually writes   
its date upon its street architecture4  
,in one respect1 especially1 the glory  
of ,valladolid has entirely departed4   
,in this1 the city of the ,arphes1 in   
which as ,navagiero#e says1 7writing in 
#aebe71 ,sono in ,valladolid assai      
artefeci di ogni sorte1  se vi lavora   
benissimo di tutte le arti1 e sopra     
tutto d'argenti1 e vi sono tanti        
argenteri quanti non sono in due altre  
terre1 no gold or silversmith's work is 
to be found worthy a moment's attention4
 ,the ,plateria still remains1 and the  
shops of the ,plateros still abound1    
but1 with the exception of two or three 
little old fragments saved from the     
melting pot1 the elegant types of the   
,varia commensuracion of ,villafae have 
disappeared1 giving place to poor       
imitations of bad ,french work4         
,illustration3 ,,plate #d  ,,valladolid 
,,patio ,,de ,,san ,,gregorio4  ,,mdw   
#ahfi  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate ,,iv4    

,,valladolid4  ,,detail ,,from ,,the    
,,patio ,,de ,,san ,,gregorio4   ,,the  
portion of the great ,dominican ,convent
 of ,valladolid which formed the subject
 of the last sketch1 is supposed to have
 been the commencement of a second      
,patio1 or courtyard1 around which were 
to have been arranged apartments1 mainly
 intended for the reception of guests or
 visitors1 lay as well as ecclesiastic4 
,the arcading1 of which ,plate ,,iv is a
 sketch1 surrounds the great ,patio of  
the monastic establishment of which the 
,colegio proper is the ,church4 ,around 
this noble courtyard were grouped the   
apartments in which resided the powerful
 ,black ,friars--so called from their   
dress--worthy adherents to the          
traditions of the founder of the ,order1
 himself an old ,castilian1 whose       
activity as ,preachers1 and still more  
as ,inquisitors1 made them1 perhaps1    
even more powerful in controlling the   
destinies of the ,peninsula than the    
political heads of the ,state4 ,the     

first stone of this great establishment1
 dedicated to ,st4 ,gregory1 and founded
 by ,alonso of ,burgos1 ,bishop of      
,palencia1 was laid in the year #adhh4  
,some idea of the rapid growth and      
elevation of the ,dominicans about this 
period may be derived from an           
observation of the fact that this       
splendid ,church and ,monastery was the 
second great establishment of the ,order
 in ,valladolid completed within the    
space of about ten years4 ,cean         
,bermudez tells us that the ,cardinal   
,don ,juan ,torquemada caused the       
,church of the ,convent of ,st4 ,paul to
 be erected1 which1 with its faade of   
excellent architecture1 was finished in 
the year #adfc4  ,the work at ,saint    
,gregory lasted about eight years1 a    
very short time1 considering not only   
the quantity and extent of labour       
involved in the mere construction1 but  
the amount of intricate and elaborate   
sculpture which decorates the faade of  
the ,church4 ,its architect1 ,macias    

,carpintero1 of ,medino del ,campo1 is  
placed by ,llaguno y ,amirola upon a    
footing1 as to merit1 with the          
celebrated architects ,siloe and ,cruz  
of ,cologne1 who introduced             
extraordinary elaboration into the      
ornamental carving of ,spain4 ,the fate 
of ,macias was a sad one1 since on the  
last ,saturday in ,july1 in the year    
#adij1 while working himself1 and       
directing this great architectural work1
 he committed suicide1 infinitely to the
 surprise and regret of the monks and   
their fellow-citizens4  ,some idea of   
the scale upon which the ,patio of ,san 
,gregorio is worked out1 may be derived 
from a knowledge of the facts1 that the 
lower arcade is about twenty feet high1 
and the upper fifteen feet4 ,the open   
space enclosed by the arcading is very  
large1 and the distance from centre to  
centre of each of the pillars about nine
 feet4  ,illustration3 ,,plate #e       
,,valladolid4  ,,patio ,,de ,,san       
,,gregorio4  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate ,v4

  ,,valladolid4  ,,small ,,patio ,,de   
,,san ,,gregorio4   ,,in that           
material--stucco--which we of the       
nineteenth century affect to despise1   
and in the use of which both the ,romans
 and the ,great ,masters of the         
,renaissance1 under ,raffaelle's        
guidance1 excelled1 the ,moors          
delighted4 ,by its use they were able1  
with speed and accuracy1 to supply the  
redundancy of conventional ornament     
essential to contrast with the rigid    
geometrical setting out of lines and    
compartments which formed a fundamental 
law of their beautiful style of design4 
,their aptitude in the manipulation of  
this material did not desert them when  
their talents were called into operation
 by their ,christian ,masters4 ,of this 
the pretty window which forms the chief 
feature of the sketch under             
consideration1 offers an agreeable      
proof4 ,at the first glance1 one might  
have fancied that this window was of    
earlier date than the gothic stone arch 

beneath1 and indeed a relic of the      
,moorish occupation of ,valladolid      
before the ,christians reconquered the  
district1 so different in style are its 
details from those of the arch4 ,to have
 encountered the difficulties of        
constructing such an arch beneath1      
without destroying such a window1 is1   
however1 so contrary to all ancient     
precedents in similar cases1 that any   
such theory must be dismissed on        
reflexion1 and an explanation sought in 
some other direction4 ,it is to be found
 in the fact1 that about the middle of  
the fifteenth century1 shortly after    
which date1 both arch and window were   
probably constructed1 the ,christians   
had plenty of skilful artificers in     
stone1 who possessed no aptitude for    
working in stucco1 whilst the ,moors    
executed but little ornament in stone1  
but much in brick and plaster4 ,hence   
the marked difference in style which is 
apparent between the window sketched1   
and the architectural detail of the rest

 of this pretty little court1 which is  
shown on this sketch1 and the one which 
follows it4  ,the rooms surrounding the 
,arcade of this ,patio1 and the ,arcade 
itself1 are now used as a ,corps de     
,garde in connection with the           
,government offices of the great ,patio 
of this ,colegio4 ,they naturally1      
therefore1 rejoice in the rapidly       
accumulating whitewash1 which serves    
very generally in ,spain1 at once as a  
panacea against cholera and fever1 and  
the obliterator of all useless          
excrescences in the nature of           
,architectural ,ornament4               
,illustration3 ,,plate #f  ,,valladolid 
,,mdw #ahfi  ,,patio ,,colegio ,,de     
,,san ,,gregorio     ,,plate ,,vi4      
,,valladolid4  ,,small ,,patio1         
,,colegio ,,de ,,san ,,gregorio4   ,,the
 stucco upper-storey from which the last
 sketch 7,plate ,v7 was taken1 rests    
upon a lower open storey1 forming the   
usual recessed ,arcade or ,colonade of  
even very humble ,patios4 ,in this case1

 the columns1 on two sides1 7the upper  
parts of one of which are shown7        
including the coat-of-arms1 are in      
stone2 while the brackets easing the    
compression of the fibres1 and          
shortening the bearing of the beams1 the
 beams themselves1 and the row of       
brackets above1 being really only the   
moulded ends of the joists of the upper 
floor1 are all in wood4 ,they thus      
illustrate the combination of materials 
in construction so much affected by the 
,moors4 ,at the same time the           
architectural details shown both in this
 sketch1 and in the one which precedes  
it1 exhibit certain ornamental features 
derived from ,arabian models4 ,that     
there should be no question in this     
structure1 however1 as to the ascendency
 of the ,christian over the ,moor1 the  
proud founder has affixed his arms1 in  
which the ,church's sacred emblems of   
the fleur-de-lys and cross forcibly     
express the favourite tenets of the     
,spaniard4  ,few cities of ,spain more  

rejoiced in heraldic devices than did   
,valladolid1 the especial seat of the   
,castilian nobility1 at least until its 
removal to ,madrid4 ,amongst all the    
beautiful fac-similes of finely-mantled 
and well-displayed escutcheons which    
adorn the works of early printers1 given
 to us by ,sir ,stirling ,maxwell1 few  
excel those which issued from the       
presses of the ,valladolid printers4    
,the ,germans who followed in the train1
 or1 at any rate under the auspices1 of 
,charles ,v41 no doubt set the fashion  
at the commencement of the century at   
,seville1 which was taken up by         
,spaniards towards the middle of the    
same century at ,valladolid4 ,francesco 
,fernandez de ,cordova appears to have  
been the great master of the craft      
there1 and many and splendid are the    
heraldic frontispieces of his books from
 #aedh onwards4 ,his style1 at any rate1
 was maintained in his family till near 
the end of the century1 as the title    
page of the celebrated ,quilatador de la

 ,plata oro y piedras1 by ,joan ,arphe1 
#aegb1f displays the arms of the        
,cardinal ,bishop of ,siguenza1 drawn   
by1 and bearing the initials of1 no less
 an artist than ,arphe y ,villafae      
himself4 ,the imprint of the volume     
bears no longer the name of ,francisco1 
but the names of ,alonzo y ,diego       
,fernandez de ,cordova4  ,the finest    
specimen of ,francisco's work1 given by 
,sir ,stirling ,maxwell1 is the grand   
heading to a proclamation issued by     
,charles ,v41 in #aedi4 ,it exhibits not
 only the ,royal and ,imperial          
escutcheon1 ,double-headed ,eagle1 and  
,columns1 with the proud motto plus     
ultra1 but a quantity of pure           
,renaissance ornament from which all    
trace of ,gothic has disappeared4       
,illustration3 ,,plate #g  ,,valladolid 
,,la ,,casa ,,del ,,infantado  ,,mdw    
#ahfi     ,,plate ,,vii4  ,,valladolid4 
,,la ,,casa ,,del ,,infantado4   ,,as in
 ,italy1 so in ,spain1 the architecture 
of the revival may be divided into at   

least two great schools1 viz41 the      
early1 in which sculpture1 and          
particularly sculptured arabesque1 play 
a prominent part2 and the late1 in which
 regularity in the use of the orders and
 a system of rigidly proportioned plain 
architectural members form the main     
constituents of the most highly         
commended structures4 ,both merged into 
the extravagance which follows when     
architects learn to draw with facility  
rather than to think with steadfastness 
and propriety4 ,as ,italy had its       
,borromini1 so had ,spain its           
,churriguera4  ,the building from which 
my sketch has been taken1 belongs to the
 second of these divisions of the       
architecture of the revival1 as may be  
seen by the grave simplicity of the     
,ionic columns which support the massive
 but plain arches of both stories of a  
large and pretentious ,patio4 ,in this  
sketch ,i have chosen the point of view 
from the entrance loggia of the house1  
because looking from it ,i could well   

see1 and therefore illustrate1 the way  
in which a grand staircase1 covered at  
the top1 but open to the air upon one   
side1 usually connects1 in large houses1
 the upper and lower arcades of the     
,patios1 and consequently the upper and 
lower floors of the mansion which open  
on to the two main arcades4 ,the        
staircase is very rarely closed by      
iron-work or otherwise2 consequently the
 visitor once obtaining access to the   
,patio was and is at liberty to ramble  
nearly all over the house unchecked4 ,as
 front doors usually stand open from    
morning till night1 access to ,patios   
may generally be freely obtained2 but   
where the house is inhabited by one     
family only1 or by more than one family 
desiring privacy1 iron or wooden doors  
usually close openings to the ,patio    
such as are shown in the sketch4 ,it is 
only when in answer to a bell1 or       
knocker1 attached to this or to an      
external doorway1 a servant has appeared
 and ascertained that the visitor is an 

amigo1 that the door itself is opened1  
and access to the interior afforded4    
,it is a popular prejudice that gravity 
in ,spanish architecture only came in   
with ,herrera1 after the middle of the  
fifteenth century in ,spain1 but in     
reality there were several other men who
 before him asserted their dissent from 
the plateresque redundancy of ornament1 
and designed works upon a careful study 
of ,italian models of architectural     
proportion4 ,among such may be reckoned 
,pedro ,machuca who in #aebf designed   
the palace of ,charles ,v4 at ,granada1 
,alonzo ,covarrubias who was architect  
for the noble staircase and cortile of  
the ,alcazar at ,toledo1 and ,diego     
,siloe who a few years later created the
 fine ,cathedral of ,granada4           
,illustration3 ,,plate #h  ,,leon  ,,san
 ,,isidro  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate      
,,viii4  ,,leon4  ,,church ,,of ,,san   
,,isidro4   ,,the antiquity of the city 
of ,leon and its importance as a ,roman 
station are well shown by its           

picturesque and strong walls1 which in  
many places yet exhibit clearly ,roman  
masonry in the substructure and general 
form4 ,on other places1 subsequent      
generations of artificers have left     
unmistakeable autographs inscribed in   
most legible and durable forms1         
attesting dates of construction1        
dilapidation1 restoration1 and then     
again dilapidation1 through centuries of
 tempestuous existence4 ,one of the most
 picturesque bastions of these old walls
 is the one shown in my sketch which    
groups exceedingly well with the fine   
,romanesque steeple of ,san ,isidro1    
which stands on the west of the ,church 
but altogether detached from it4 ,both  
,church and steeple date from about the 
middle of the twelfth century1 and      
possess great historical and            
architectural interest4 ,their          
historical interest is due to their     
association with the fervidly pious     
,queen ,sancha2 and to the fact that in 
the ,pantheon1 or chapel dedicated to   

,santa ,catilina at the north-west end  
of the ,church1 probably grouped around 
the body of the ,saint1 repose ,kings   
and ,queens of ,spain from ,fernando ,i4
 and ,doa ,sancha the founders of the   
,church1 through eight generations4     
,their architectural interest is        
derivable from the constructional and   
ornamental details dwelt upon by ,mr4   
,street1 to whose excellent account of  
the building the reader may be referred4
  ,illustration3 ,,plate #i  ,,leon     
,,san ,,marcos  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate 
,,ix4  ,,leon4  ,,convent ,,of ,,san    
,,marcos4   ,,on the #crd of ,september1
 #aeab1 a meeting took place between    
certain ecclesiastics of the ,chapter of
 ,salamanca1 and nine of the most famous
 architects of ,spain1 the minute or    
procs verbal of which would form a model
 for what might often be done in this   
country with much advantage to all      
concerned in the initiation of any great
 architectural work4 ,the object of the 
,junta was to settle the principal      

difficulties of the design of the new   
,cathedral of ,salamanca1 then about to 
be begun4 ,interesting as are all the   
conclusions arrived at upon this        
memorable occasion1 it is not with them 
we have now to concern ourselves1 but   
with the circumstance only that1 amongst
 the signatures attached to the         
document#g occurs that of ,juan de      
,badajoz1 the architect of the noble    
faade of the celebrated ,convent of the 
,knights of ,santiago at ,leon1 which   
forms the subject of our ninth sketch4  
,in the following year to that of the   
meeting at ,salamanca1 ,juan de ,badajoz
 was summoned in concert with ,juan ,gil
 de ,hontaon and ,juan de ,alava to     
report on the repairs necessary to the  
,cathedral at ,seville4 ,for this he was
 paid by the ,chapter one hundred       
ducats1 no mean sum in those days4      
,called from ,seville to ,leon1 ,badajoz
 seems to have immediately set in hand  
the ,capilla ,mayor of the ,church of   
,san ,isidro4 ,in ,leon and elsewhere he

 appears to have been much employed1    
until in #aecg he commenced the ,convent
 of ,san ,zoil at ,carrion 7about twelve
 leagues from ,leon17 for the ,condes of
 that place4 ,the taste for elaborate   
ornamental sculpture greatly increasing 
at that time1 ,juan de ,badajoz seems to
 have taken pains to surround himself   
with the most skilful carvers of his    
days1 and on all occasions to have      
pushed them forwards as their merits    
deserved4 ,hence1 when called upon1     
shortly after setting in hand the works 
at ,carrion1 to commence the even more  
elaborate and important ones of ,san    
,marcos1 he was able to carry on the two
 for a time concurrently1 and ultimately
 to resign the charge of what he began  
and advanced considerably single-handed 
at ,leon1 to his deputy1 ,pedro di      
,castrillo4  ,on ,san ,marcos1 ,juan de 
,badajoz appears to have worked         
pertinaciously1 at any rate until the   
year #aedc1 when more than half the     
whole work was completed4 ,in the       

sculpture1 of which there is an enormous
 quantity1 he had the assistance1 as    
principal sculptor1 of ,guillermo       
,doncel4 ,the ornamental details#h are  
excellent1 far better than those        
involving a knowledge of the proportions
 and forms of the human figure4 ,the    
size of the building is enormous1 and   
its general effect very picturesque4    
,the works appear to have been suspended
 while still far from complete4 ,they   
were not resumed until the year #agae4  
,illustration3 ,,plate #aj  ,,mdw #ahfi 
,,leon ,,san ,,marcos     ,,plate ,x4   
,,leon4  ,,cloister ,,of ,,the ,,convent
 ,,of ,,san ,,marcos4   ,,it used to be 
a proud old boast of the brothers of the
 ,military ,order of ,sant' ,iago that  
their ,palace1 or ,convent1 call it     
which you will1 at ,leon1 was quite as  
fine and spacious as the palace occupied
 by the ,kings of ,spain at ,madrid4    
,knowing this1 ,i visited it with a     
certain amount of apprehension as to my 
reception by such successors to the     

magnates of old1 as might still occupy  
the building4 ,my fears were groundless1
 for ,i found after much knocking and   
ringing1 that a solitary policeman was  
the only occasional tenant of its vast  
halls1 and almost numberless rooms4 ,it 
was indeed melancholy to see such a     
structure so evidently and entirely out 
of joint with fortune and the times1 as 
to be apparently inapplicable and       
inconvertible to any useful purpose4    
,with the impressions received from     
meeting with such a state of things1 the
 traveller naturally feels a difficulty 
in realising the fact that the extent   
and splendour of this ,convent actually 
represented what was once a vital       
principle of first importance to ,spain4
 ,to her1 until ,mariolatry set in with 
full intensity1 the name of ,sant' ,iago
 was a tower of strength4 ,not only did 
the possession of his shrine to which   
pilgrims flocked1 even from beyond the  
seas in thousands1 bring wealth to the  
,church2 but the elevation of the ,saint

 into an actual soldier of the ,faith1 a
 leader to material as well as to       
spiritual victory1 supplied for ,spain  
that fervour under arms which1 when     
passing under the form of devotion to   
the ,prophet had1 as both ,church and   
,state in ,spain wisely recognised1     
wrought such marvels in the             
consolidation of the power of her       
natural enemies1 the ,moors4 ,by the    
creation of the religious orders of     
cavaliers1 or rather of the military    
orders of priests1 ,spain at once       
nourished the spirit of chivalry and the
 ,christian ,faith1 the union of which  
ultimately won for her the reconquest of
 all that ,mahommedan ,chivalry and     
,mahommedan ,faith had conquered from   
her4#i ,the very length and pertinacity 
of the struggle only served to quicken  
the devotion of the people to their     
,gran ,capitan1 ,sant' ,iago1 and to    
induce them to enrich to the utmost the 
order which bore his name4  ,hence the  
magnificent scale of buildings1 such as 

the ,convent of ,san ,marcos1 the       
stately cloisters of which once         
sheltered those whose energy in council 
and skill in the field maintained that  
life and action for the warlike1 and    
protection and repose for the peaceable1
 which were essential to the            
consolidation and upholding of the      
monarchy of ,spain1 and its supposed    
indispensable and inseparable adjunct   
the ,catholic ,faith4  ,illustration3   
,,plate #aa  ,,leon ,,casa ,,de ,,los   
,,gusmanes  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate     
,,xi4  ,,leon4  ,,exterior ,,of ,,the   
,,casa ,,de ,,los ,,gusmanes4   ,,in an 
ancient house which stood upon the site 
on which now stands the ,palace which   
forms the subject of our sketch1 there  
was born1 in the year #abff1 a          
,cavalier1 who1 when arrived at manhood1
 followed the fortunes of ,sancho the   
,brave4 ,after many struggles1 the ,king
 having taken ,tarifa in ,andalucia from
 the ,moors in #abib1 looked round      
amongst his followers for one willing to

 hold what he had won4 ,all refused1    
owing to the danger of the position1    
until ,alonso ,perez de ,guzman1 the    
,cavalier in question1 offered to keep  
possession of the town for a year4 ,the 
story is thus condensed by ,ford1 from  
the ,romancero4 ,the ,moors beleaguered 
it1 aided by the ,infante ,juan1 a      
traitor brother of ,sancho's to whom    
,alonso's eldest son1 aged nine1 had    
been entrusted previously as a page4    
,juan now brought the boy under the     
walls1 and threatened to kill him if his
 father would not surrender the place4  
,alonso drew his dagger and threw it    
down exclaiming1 ',i prefer honour      
without a son1 to a son with dishonour4'
 ,he retired1 and the ,prince caused the
 child to be put to death4 ,a cry of    
horror ran through the ,spanish         
battlements4 ,alonso rushed forth1      
beheld his son's body1 and returning to 
his childless mother1 calmly observed1  
',i feared that the infidel had gained  
the city4' ,sancho1 the ,king1 likened  

him to ,abraham1 from this parental     
sacrifice and honoured him with the     
'canting' name ',el ,bueno4' ,the good  
7,guzman1 ,gutman1 ,goodman47 ,he became
 the founder of the princely ,dukes of  
,medina ,sidonia1 now merged by marriage
 in the ,villafrancas4 ,from this great 
head descended ultimately ,her ,majesty 
the ,empress ,eugnie of ,france4        
,gaining strength1 riches and power1 the
 original residence of ,el ,bueno became
 too small for his aspiring family1 and 
in #aefj1 ,don ,juan ,quiones y ,guzman1
 ,bishop of ,calahorra1 determined upon 
the erection1 on the same site1 of the  
present fine structure4 ,the name of the
 architect does not seem to be known1   
but it is obviously the work of one who1
 rejecting the elaboration of the       
,plateresque style1 followed the simpler
 and more chastened proportions         
recommended by the early ,italian       
writers on architecture1 such as        
,alberti and ,serlio1 and by the first  
,spanish student of ,vitruvius1 ,diego  

,sagredo in his ,medidas del ,romano1   
7,toledo1 #aebf47  ,it is probable that 
the use of a large quantity of iron     
externally1 as in the balconies and     
other parts of this ,palace was somewhat
 of a novelty at the date of            
construction1 since the story runs that 
when ,philip ,,ii4 visited ,leon1 as his
 courtiers1 some friends of the         
,bishops1 were praising the building1   
and were mentioning in a friendly way   
the thousands of cwts4 of iron employed 
in it1 the ,king severely observed1     
punningly by the way1 ',en verdad que ha
 sido mucho yerro para un obispo4'#aj   
,the pun turns upon the word yerro which
 means both iron1 and a mistake4 ,the   
joke would have been unworthy of ,philip
 ,,ii4 if it had not been grim4         
,illustration3 ,,plate #ab  ,,leon4     
,,casa ,,de ,,los ,,gusmanes  ,,mdw4    
#ahfi     ,,plate ,,xii4  ,,leon4       
,,patio ,,of ,,the ,,casa ,,de ,,los    
,,gusmanes4   ,,palaces1 such as supply 
our twelfth illustration1 are now rarely

 occupied in ,spain by one family only4 
,instead of serving as the place of     
general rendezvous for the dependants   
and intimate friends only of the        
aristocratic proprietor1 the ,patios are
 now usually peopled with men1 women and
 children belonging to the numerous     
families1 between whom the occupation of
 the ,palace1 sadly fallen from its high
 estate1 is divided4 ,instead of the    
mansions being guarded by a grand       
inquisitor in the shape of a porter1    
with armed servants within hail1 with   
almost more than ,oriental jealousy1 as 
in the old days1 he who will1 may       
usually find entrance or exit unheeded1 
passing but as one more or one less of  
the hundreds who go to and fro in the   
course of the day to the various        
apartments which are frequently let and 
sublet1 at ridiculously low rents1 to   
poor occupants who can afford to pay no 
other4 ,poverty1 in fact1 revels in     
halls where magnificence once reigned   
supreme4  ,it is no easy task for the   

imagination to repeople such grand old  
residences with the stately ,hidalgoes  
and ,seoras1 who once occupied and      
maintained them with scrupulous care and
 princely dignity4 ,happily1 the        
,countess d',aulnois comes to our aid   
with her lively account of the dwelling 
at ,madrid of the ,duchess of ,terra    
,nueva1 appointed ,camerera-,mayor to   
the young ,queen1 in #afgi2 and her     
picturesque sketch may be freely        
accepted as expressing the general style
 in which families of dignity1 such as  
the ,guzmanes1 magnates of ,leon1 lived 
during the plenitude of ,spanish wealth 
and power4  ,one can hardly see         
anything1 says she1#aa that looks more  
splendid than this house of theirs2 they
 use the upper apartments1 which are    
hung with tapestry1 all done with raised
 work of gold4 ,in one great chamber1   
which is longer than it is broad1 you   
may see several glass doors1 which go   
into closets1 or little cells2 the first
 of which is the ,duchess of ,terra     

,nova's1 hung with grey1 and a bed of   
the same1 and all other things very     
plain4 ,on one side lodges her daughter1
 the ,duchess of ,monteleon1 who is a   
widow1 and has her room furnished like  
her mother's4 ,afterwards you come to   
the ,princess of ,monteleon's chamber1  
which is not larger than the others2 but
 her bed is of gold and green damask1   
lined with silver brocade1 and trimmed  
with ,point-de-,spain4 ,the sheets were 
laced about with an ,english lace of    
half an ell deep4 ,over against it were 
the chambers of ,monteleon and ,hijar's 
children1 which were furnished with     
white damask4 ,next to these is the     
little chamber of the ,duchess ,hijar1  
furnished with crimson coloured velvet  
upon a gold ground4 ,their rooms were no
 otherwise divided than by partitions of
 a certain sweet wood2 and they told me 
that six of their women lay in their    
chambers upon beds brought thither at   
night4 ,the ladies were in a great      
gallery1 spread with a very rich        

foot-cloth4 ,there were set round it    
crimson coloured velvet cushions        
embroidered with gold1 and they are     
longer than they are broad4 ,there were 
also several great cabinets inlaid1 and 
adorned with precious stones2 but they  
are not made in ,spain4 ,and between    
them were tables of silver1 and         
admirable looking-glasses1 both for     
their largeness and rich frames1 the    
worst of which were of silver4 ,but that
 which ,i thought finest1 were their    
escaparates1 which is a certain sort of 
close cabinet with one great glass1 and 
filled with all the rarities which one  
can imagine1 whether it be in amber1    
porcelain1 crystal1 bezoar-stone1       
branches of coral1 mother-of-pearl1     
filligreen in gold1 and a thousand other
 things of value4  ,illustration3       
,,plate #ac  ,,leon  ,,mdw #ahfi        
,,calle ,,della ,,tesoriera4 ,,leon4    
,,plate ,,xiii4  ,,leon4  ,,detail      
,,from ,a ,,house ,,in ,,the ,,calle    
,,de ,,la ,,tesoriera4   ,,this pretty  

little keystone1 with its acanthus leaf 
well drawn and freely cut in good       
cinque-cento style occurs over the      
,portal of an old house in one of the   
secondary streets of ,leon4 ,the pot of 
lilies which surmounts it is a pretty   
little impresa1 quaintly signifying the 
devotion of the owner of the house to   
the especial object of every good       
,spaniard's worship1 the most holy      
,virgin sin pecado concebida4 ,the ,s   
shaped irons1 which appear on the right 
and left of the pot of lilies1 serve to 
help to support the light balcony1 which
 generally occurs over entrance doors of
 minor importance in ,spain1 and which  
often serves as a small open air        
addition to the common sitting room1 in 
which the women of the house do much of 
the usual needle work1 spinning1 c4     
,illustration3 ,,plate #ad  ,,salamanca 
,,casa ,,de ,,las ,,conchas  ,,mdw #ahfi
     ,,plate ,,xiv4  ,,salamanca4       
,,exterior ,,of ,,the ,,casa ,,de ,,las 
,,conchas4   ,,this is1 upon the whole1 

the most complete house ,i met with of  
its period1 answering in ,art1 and      
nearly in point of time1 to the florid  
,burgundian style of the ,low           
,countries1 with which there was much   
intercourse at the probable date of its 
construction--the close of the fifteenth
 century4 ,it stands almost opposite the
 great ,church of the ,gesuitas1 some of
 the columns of an unfinished porch or  
portico of which may be seen upon the   
left hand side of the sketch4 ,no doubt 
this fine mansion does not possess its  
original roofing1 as testified by the   
comparatively modern windows of a       
portion of the top storey1 but with that
 exception it is fairly complete1 both  
externally and internally4  ,the little 
projections on the masonry looking like 
nail heads are1 really1 as will be seen 
by the details given in ,plates ,,xvii4 
and ,,xix41 representations of shells1  
the heraldic badge of the owner of the  
house1 from which1 rather than from his 
name1 the cognomen by which the house is

 known1 has been derived4 ,it is        
difficult now to divine in what way the 
top storey was originally constructed1  
but judging by analogy with what was    
usual in such houses elsewhere in ,spain
 at the time1 it appears probable that  
it may have consisted of a light open   
arcading1 serving as a look             
out--mirador--and place for exercising  
for the ladies of the household1 at     
times when the streets may have been    
neither safe nor agreeable4             
,illustration3 ,,plate #ae  ,,salamanca1
 ,,casa ,,de ,,las ,,conchas  ,,mdw     
#ahfi     ,,plate ,,xv4  ,,salamanca4   
,,patio ,,of ,,the ,,casa ,,de ,,las    
,,conchas4   ,,the ,patio of this house 
is yet more perfect than its faade1 and1
 a rare circumstance in ,spain1 ,i found
 it both clean and well kept4 ,it is not
 upon a large scale1 and did not1       
perhaps1 look the less elegant on that  
account4 ,the upper arcade produces a   
far better effect than the lower1 since 
in the latter the principle of the arch 

seems fantastically and heedlessly lost 
sight of4 ,with the exception in the    
upper arcade of the way in which the    
wreaths and escutcheons are placed1 as  
though to conceal a confusion in the    
lines of the archivolt1 which the       
architect 7or mason7 did not seem quite 
to know how to bring together           
comfortably over the capitals1 the whole
 effect is quiet and pretty4 ,the open  
work parapet at the top is the only     
motif in the design which appears to be 
borrowed from the architecture of the   
,moors4  ,illustration3 ,,plate #af     
,,casa ,,de ,,las ,,conchas  ,,mdw #ahfi
     ,,plate ,,xvi4  ,,salamanca4       
,,staircase ,,of ,,the ,,casa ,,de ,,las
 ,,conchas4   ,,on the side of the      
,patio1 opposite to the entrance1 occurs
 the archway through the wall which     
forms the back of the arcade on that    
side of the ,court1 and beyond which is 
seen the staircase which connects the   
upper and lower arcades4 ,from its      
masonry bonded in with the enclosing    

walls1 it assumes even1 while simple in 
design1 a thoroughly architectural      
character1 while the depth of shade1    
which almost invariably covers the back 
wall and parts of the side wall1 serve  
to throw the lower part of the staircase
 into brilliant relief4 ,the graceful   
and gay figures which1 in the           
characteristic costume of ,salamanca1   
from time to time1 went up or down the  
staircase1 or linger upon it in groups  
chatting or smoking1 or flirting1 make  
up occasional pictures not rapidly to be
 effaced from the author's memory4      
,illustration3 ,,plate #ag  ,,salamanca 
,,mdw #ahfi  ,,casa ,,de ,,las          
,,conchas4     ,,plate ,,xvii4          
,,salamanca4  ,,window ,,from ,,the     
,,casa ,,de ,,las ,,conchas4   ,,one of 
the most agreeable features in the      
design of the ,casa de las ,conchas1 is 
the variety of detail of the different  
windows throughout the house4 ,on the   
sketch under consideration1 and in the  
two which follow it1 evidence is        

afforded of the burning of the lamp of  
life1 as ,mr4 ,ruskin would call it4    
,they are all of them conceived in a    
transitional and composite but very     
picturesque style1 and however different
 or possibly antagonistic the details of
 each window may appear amongst         
themselves1 as a whole they agree and   
look exceedingly well4  ,this window    
occurs on the first floor of the faade1 
and possesses an additional interest    
from showing us pretty clearly what kind
 of windows may have been superseded in 
a similar situation by the ,italian     
windows so much to be regretted in the  
fine ,palace of the ,duques del         
,infantado at ,guadalajara4 ,see ,plate 
,,lxxviii4  ,illustration3 ,,plate #ah  
,,salamanca  ,,casa ,,de ,,las ,,conchas
  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate ,,xviii4      
,,salamanca4  ,,window ,,in ,,the       
,,patio ,,of ,,the ,,casa ,,de ,,las    
,,conchas4   ,,this window with its     
heavy ironwork1 gives light through the 
back wall of the arcading of the ,patio 

to a passage running behind a room1     
which derives its light from the        
external wall of the house4 ,such       
passages occur not unfrequently in      
,spanish houses1 and are convenient1 as 
they serve to bring three rooms into a  
suite without the necessity of having to
 pass through any one room to get to    
another4 ,of course of the three rooms  
two may be of the full width1 extending 
from the external wall of the house to  
the back wall of the arcading of the    
,patio1 and one of that width less the  
width of the passage1 into which the    
three doors open1 and which is lighted  
by a window from the ,patio 7such as    
that sketched71 and frequently          
approached also from the arcading by a  
doorway adjoining the window4 ,as the   
,patio is a comparatively public part of
 the house1 such windows require1 and   
usually have1 the strong close iron     
work1 which gives security and a certain
 amount of privacy to the external      
windows of the ground-floor of the      

house4  ,illustration3 ,,plate #ai      
,,salamanca  ,,mdw #ahfi  ,,casa ,,de   
,,las ,,conchas     ,,plate ,,xix4      
,,salamanca4  ,,external ,,window ,,of  
,,the ,,casa ,,de ,,las ,,conchas4      
,,the windows of the first-floors of    
,spanish houses are always the largest1 
airiest1 and openest1 of the whole of   
the windows of the house1 excepting in  
the rare cases where there is a top     
story consisting of a large gallery1 as 
frequently at ,genoa1 serving for       
promenade and look out--in fact a       
species of ,belvedere4 ,the importance  
of the rooms lighted is generally       
indicated by the relative richness of   
the window dressings4 ,the profusion    
with which heraldic insignia are used in
 the window sketched1 suffices1         
therefore1 to show that with others of  
the same kind it lighted the principal  
saloons of the house4 ,another point of 
construction illustrated by the sketch1 
is the fact that the conchas or carved  
stone shells have been applied after the

 general building of the wall4 ,this is 
proved by the regularity with which they
 are placed1 irrespective of the heights
 of the various courses of masonry1 and 
of the levels at which the joints occur4
  ,illustration3 ,,plate #bj            
,,salamanca ,,casa ,,monterey4  ,,mdw   
#ahfi     ,,plate ,,xx4  ,,salamanca4   
,,exterior ,,of ,,the ,,casa ,,monterey4
   ,,of the very picturesque specimen of
 domestic architecture illustrated in   
,plate ,,xx41 and bearing the local name
 of the ,casa de ,monterey1 but little  
seems to be known4 ,escosura confesses  
himself reduced to conjecture1 and thus 
theorises on the subject4 ,as to the    
exact epoch at which the ,casa de       
,monterey was built1 the following      
circumstances should be borne in mind4  
,the title of ,conde de ,monterey was   
created in favour of ,don ,baltasar de  
,zuiga1 who was ,viceroy of ,naples in  
the year #afbf4 ,this nobleman caused   
the ,church of the ,convent of ,nuns    
which bore his name1 and which stands   

opposite his palace1 to be erected at   
his expense from the designs of the     
fashionable ,italian architect1         
,fontana4 ,may it be unreasonable to    
suppose that the ,palace was designed at
 the same time by the same architect8   
,to this question1 the proper answer    
given by some better judge of           
architectural style would1 probably1 be 
very1 since it is difficult to perceive 
any similarity between the modes of     
design1 upon which the two buildings are
 based4 ,the architecture of the ,church
 of the ,convent1 one angle of which    
appears on the left hand of the sketch1 
is in the large florid manner of the    
post-,palladian ,italians1 while that of
 the ,palace is small in its ornamental 
parts1 and instead of exhibiting        
,italian features1 seems throughout to  
show the peculiar reading of ,italian   
style adopted by the late ,plateresque  
,spanish architects of the second half  
of the sixteenth century4 ,this is      
particularly noticeable in the absence  

of a crowning balustrade1 and in the    
substitution for it of the elaborate    
pierced cresting which apparently the   
,spanish architects adopted from        
,moorish rather than from any antique   
models4  ,the interior of this grand    
looking palace is said to have been all 
but destroyed by the ,french4           
,illustration3 ,,plate #ba  ,,salamanca 
,,mdw #ahfi  ,,opposite ,,san ,,benito4 
,,plate ,,xxi4  ,,salamanca4            
,,renaissance ,,house ,,opposite ,,san  
,,benito4   ,,in every ancient city the 
largest and most costly building ever   
erected in it is usually the most       
enduring4 ,the causes of this are       
various--for instance--the construction 
in itself may have been the most solid1 
the citizens may have taken such pride  
in it as to bestow unusual pains upon   
its conservation1 they may have retained
 it for uses for which it may have      
become more or less unfit 7as is the    
case with the majority of ancient       
,ecclesiastical buildings in ,protestant

 countries71 rather than face the       
expense of re-erecting appropriate      
buildings1 or it may still be well      
suited for present purposes4 ,hence     
cathedrals1 churches1 palaces1 7rarely  
castles1 owing to the combative         
propensities of their owners71          
hospitals1 great residences of ancient  
families1 and in ,catholic countries1   
convents and monasteries1 of almost all 
periods1 may remain to attest the       
changes of architectural style1 c42 but 
the ordinary residences of the middle   
classes1 and of the numerous secondary  
nobility1 get swept away by the tides of
 history1 or are so altered by them as  
to leave scarcely any satisfactory      
land-marks to indicate what once gave   
its predominant character to the streets
 of many an ancient city4 ,such changes 
are effected almost equally by progress 
and by decay4 ,by the former1 all minor 
monuments become obliterated or         
transformed1--they represent in fact old
 age1 pushed aside to make way for      

youth--while by the latter they descend 
in the social scale until beggars break 
up what nobles once built up4 ,how      
constantly the traveller meets with some
 splendid old cathedral still hale and  
hearty1 with the weight of half-a-dozen 
or more centuries upon its head1 around 
which he knows were once grouped teeming
 populations full of strength1 life1 and
 wealth1 of which not a habitation may  
be left extending backwards for more    
than a hundred years from the present   
date8 ,any exceptions to such           
illustrations of the way in which       
fortune turns her wheel become the      
especially cherished haunts of the      
antiquary1 who knows that from day to   
day they become rarer1 and consequently 
more precious4 ,hence the enthusiasm    
with which the neglected quarters of    
every old town are visited in the hope  
of meeting with some relics of what may 
therein at least appear1 remains of an  
extinct civilization4 ,some such reward 
,i met with in encountering1 amidst much

 dirt and apparent poverty in the       
quarter of ,san ,benito1 in ,salamanca1 
the pretty faades of old ,renaissance   
houses which form the subjects of this  
sketch and of the one which succeeds it4
  ,illustration3 ,,plate #bb            
,,salamanca  ,,mdw #ahfi  ,,calle ,,del 
,,aguila     ,,plate ,,xxii4            
,,salamanca4  ,,renaissance ,,house ,,in
 ,,the ,,calle ,,del ,,aguila4   ,,the  
,renaissance house now presented to the 
reader1 although richer in its          
ornaments1 is not as complete as the one
 given in the preceding sketch1 having  
apparently lost its original roof4      
,instead of the overhanging eaves       
casting a constantly cool shade over the
 open balustrading1 through which light 
and air still pass to a chamber that's  
next to the sky2 in this case nothing is
 probably left over the principal       
apartment1 the window of which richly   
decorated with heraldry and arabesque is
 shown over the strong doorway with its 
deep flat arch1 excepting a dark and    

scarcely habitable attic4 ,i think it   
very likely that the wreath1 coat of    
arms1 and boys1 which still occupy their
 original position over the principal   
window1 once supported the sill of a    
superior window1 and that the house     
which now appears to have two stories   
only1 had once at least as many as      
three4  ,such houses as these of the    
ancient nobility1 of which ,i could find
 only two or three1 must once have been 
common enough in the fashionable city of
 ,gil ,blas1 when the university        
numbered seven thousand students1 and   
eighty professors1 with salaries of one 
thousand crowns each--a bountiful       
payment in those days for the exercise  
of the noblest talents--and swarms of   
assistants and ,pretendientes on        
half-pay and unattached4#ab             
,illustration3 ,,plate #bc  ,,avila     
,,entrance ,,to ,,the ,,casa ,,polentina
  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate ,,xxiii4      
,,avila4  ,,entrance ,,gateway ,,of     
,,the ,,casa ,,polentina4   ,,the       

,portal which forms the subject of my   
twenty-third sketch serves as the       
entrance to the dilapidated old mansion 
of the ,condes de ,polentinos at ,avila1
 a view of the remains of the ,patio of 
which will be found on turning over this
 page4 ,the architectural               
characteristics of this striking gateway
 are certainly very singular4 ,on       
catching a glimpse of it from a         
distance1 and seizing the aspect only of
 its ponderous masonry and deep         
machicolations1 ,i fully believed ,i was
 coming upon an old bit of castellated  
construction of the fourteenth or       
fifteenth century at latest4 ,on nearer 
inspection1 however1 ,i found out my    
mistake1 and arrived at the conclusion  
that the ,seor ,conde1 late in the      
sixteenth century1 who had caused the   
whole structure to be built1 had        
probably charged his architect1 either  
to preserve the general form of some    
much earlier portal of the old house1   
which he may have caused to be pulled   

down1 or to imitate the general aspect  
of some other aristocratic portal of    
early date1 which the ,count may have   
admired elsewhere4 ,different as the    
corbelling1 c41 looks to the gateway1   
and the window over it1 ,i found that   
ornamental detail of a similar nature   
to1 but somewhat coarser style than that
 of the door and window dressings was   
worked over most of the corbelling1 and 
part of the upper gallery carried by the
 corbels1 but apparently by a provincial
 hand4 ,the stone work of the door and  
window had probably been left in the    
rough for awhile1 possibly for some     
fifty years1 and then its carving       
entrusted to some superior artist1      
working according to the latest lights  
of the fashion of the close of the      
sixteenth century4 ,although the style  
of all this carving is plateresque1     
there are many indications about it of  
an inclination to ,greco-,roman work4   
,for instance1 the griffins1 the lions' 
heads of antique type1 and the arms and 

armour arranged as trophies1 all        
indicate acquaintance with the prevalent
 materials of ,italian arabesque design 
of late cinque-cento style4 ,indeed1 the
 very form and fluting of the corselets1
 brasses1 vambrasses1 and cuisses1 would
 indicate that armour of a date         
posterior to the middle of the sixteenth
 century had been adopted as types for  
the making up of the trophies4          
,illustration3 ,,plate #bd  ,,avila     
,,casa ,,polentina  ,,mdw #ahfi         
,,plate ,,xxiv4  ,,avila4  ,,the ,,patio
 ,,of ,,the ,,casa ,,polentina4   ,,next
 to the general feeling of interest     
excited by the picturesque aspect of    
decayed architectural grandeur1 which is
 presented by the remains of this       
dilapidated ,patio1 rises a feeling of  
curiosity as to the mode and manner of  
life of those whose wants such costly   
building subserved4 ,privacy and        
coolness appear to have been the chief  
desiderata1 and those architectural     
ornaments seem to have been preferred1  

which recall1 at almost every step1 the 
hereditary dignities of the family tree4
 ,madame d',aulnois1 whose ,letters from
 ,spain1 written in #afgi1ac give the   
liveliest possible picture of life in   
those days in the ,peninsula1 gratifies 
our curiosity in the most agreeable     
manner1 and with that quickness of      
perception1 as to domestic habits1 by   
means of which1 none but a woman can    
seize at a glance1 the telling details  
essential to give completeness and      
reality to a sketch4 ,speaking of the   
,spaniards of the upper and middle      
classes of the seventeenth century she  
says3--,all their houses have a great   
many rooms on a floor2 you go through a 
dozen or fifteen parlours1 or chambers1 
one after another4 ,those which are the 
worst lodged have six or seven4 ,the    
rooms are generally longer than they are
 broad4 ,the floors and ceilings are    
neither painted nor gilt2 they are made 
of plaister quite plain1 but so white   
that they dazzle one's eyes2 for every  

year they are scraped1 and whited as the
 walls1 which look like marble1 they are
 so well polished4 ,the ,court to their 
summer apartments is made of certain    
matter1 which1 after it has ten pails of
 water thrown upon it1 yet is dry in    
half-an-hour1 and leaves a pleasant     
coolness2 so that in the morning they   
water all1 and a little while after they
 spread mats or carpets made of fine    
rushes1 which cover all the pavement4   
,the whole apartments are hung with the 
same small mat about the depth of an    
ell1 to hinder the coolness of the walls
 from hurting those which lean against  
them4 ,on the top of these mats there   
are hung pictures and looking-glasses4  
,the cushions1 which are of gold and    
silver brocade1 are placed upon the     
carpet2 and the tables and cabinets are 
very fine2 and at little distances there
 are set silver cases or boxes1 filled  
with orange and jessamine trees4 ,in    
their windows they set things made of   
straw1 to keep the sun out2 and in the  

evenings they work in their gardens4    
,there are several houses which have    
very fine ones1 where you see grottoes  
and fountains in abundance4             
,illustration3 ,,plate #be  ,,avila     
,,the ,,cathedral4 ,,iron ,,pulpit4     
,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate ,,xxv4  ,,avila4
  ,,iron ,,pulpit ,,in ,,the            
,,cathedral4   ,,mr4 ,,street',s        
illustrations and description of all    
that is left of the old glories of      
,avila1 previous to the epoch of the    
,renaissance1 are so complete1 that ,i  
can feel no compunction in having       
gleaned only from this delightful old   
city two specimens of the ability of the
 ,spanish smiths of the period he       
repudiates1 and two others showing      
remains of the domestic architecture of 
the same style4  ,let it not be         
supposed1 however1 that it was only the 
school of the ,renaissance which        
produced masterly iron-work1 and even   
masterly iron pulpits1 in ,spain4 ,mr4  
,street has himself given us a beautiful

 woodcut of the pulpit in the church of 
,st4 ,gil1 at ,burgos4 ,this exhibits no
 other than ,gothic details1 while in   
the pulpit which forms the subject of my
 twenty-fifth sketch1 as will no doubt  
be observed1 ,renaissance details are   
freely intermixed with ,gothic ones4    
,the whole1 however different in style  
in different parts1 appeared to me to be
 contemporaneous2 and ,i1 therefore1    
regard this pulpit as an interesting    
example of a transitional style1 later  
of course1 than that followed in the    
pulpit of ,saint ,gil1 which ,mr4       
,street describes as the earliest he    
saw4 ,in both1 the primitive mode of    
working through thin plates superposed  
to form tracery has been adhered to1 and
 the whole of the ironwork has been     
applied to a wooden framework4 ,i regard
 the pulpit at ,burgos as likely to have
 been executed early in the fifteenth   
century1 and the one now under          
consideration as of the close of the    
same century2 and both may1 ,i think1   

have been produced under the influence  
of the masters from ,cologne1 who did   
such wonders1 and set so many fashions1 
in ,burgos and its vicinity1 especially 
at ,miraflores4  ,illustration3 ,,plate 
#bf  ,,avila  ,,the ,,cathedral  ,,mdw  
#ahfi     ,,plate ,,xxvi4  ,,avila4     
,,iron ,,pulpit ,,in ,,the ,,cathedral4 
,,in method of manufacture no less than 
in style of design this pulpit1 which   
forms a pendant to the one last given   
just outside the choir of ,avila        
,cathedral1 offers a contrast to its    
predecessor4 ,we no longer meet with a  
superposition of perforated plates1 but 
the operations of beating and chasing1  
and1 indeed1 cutting the metal with     
chisels1 files and hammers2 working in  
fact as the ,italians term it a         
massiccio4 ,the basis of the design is  
no longer ,gothic1 but strictly of the  
regular ,spanish ,plateresque           
,renaissance with balustrade columns1   
figures in niches1 and ,arabesques      
imitated from the ,italians4 ,from all  

these details1 we may fairly be         
justified in ascribing this work to     
about the middle of the sixteenth       
century4  ,the method of working this   
pulpit is no longer that of the simple  
smith1 but really corresponds much more 
closely with that of the armourer which 
reached its zenith about this period4   
,there can be no doubt that the         
,spaniards gained much of their         
well-known skill in the manipulation of 
iron and steel from the ,moors1 who had 
themselves obtained knowledge from      
,damascus1 and perhaps even improved    
upon the knowledge they had derived from
 that source4 ,from the times of the    
,carthaginians and ,romans1 the         
,celt-,iberian mines had been known as  
amongst the richest existing sources1   
from which iron could be procured4 ,many
 fragments of finely wrought iron work1 
of the middle ages1 still exist in      
,spain2 but for the most part in very   
fragmentary condition4#ad ,from the end 
of the fifteenth century1 however1 in   

the ,rejas1 great seals and minor       
screens1 7such as that seen at the back 
of the pulpit in my sketch7 of the      
churches and cathedrals1 and especially 
in the arms and armour of ,moorish and  
,christian ,caballeros1 7as attested by 
many splendid specimens in the ,real    
,armeria of ,madrid71 perfect examples  
are to be met with of the skill of      
,spanish artificers in dealing with all 
the metallurgical processes by which    
iron and steel can be made to assume    
forms of grace and beauty4 ,charles ,v41
 ,philip ,,ii41 and ,don ,juan of       
,austria1 were boundless in their       
extravagance in the encouragement of the
 best armourers1 not of ,toledo and     
,valladolid only1 but of ,milan and     
,augsburg as well4 ,there can be no     
doubt that the models of beauty bought  
by these ,sovereigns from artists in    
iron and steel1 such as the ,negroli and
 ,piccinini1 tended to develope that    
perfection of workmanship1 which was    
attained in ,spain in the reign of      

,philip ,,iii4 ,the pains-taking editors
 of the ,catalogue of the ,madrid       
,armoury cite ,pamplona as at the head  
of the trade at the close of the        
sixteenth and beginning of the          
seventeenth centuries1 and name as the  
chief rivals to ,pamplona of the cities 
of ,spain1 in the manufacture of        
splendid arms and armour1 ,tolosa1      
,barcelona1 and ,calatayud4#ae          
,illustration3 ,,plate #bg  ,j4         
,,escorial  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate     
,,xxvii4  ,,escorial4  ,,general ,,view 
,,of ,,the ,,escorial4   ,,in all ,spain
 ,i saw nothing which so ill-agreed with
 my preconceptions as the ,escorial4 ,as
 for beauty1 ,i could find none whatever
 in it4 ,the building appeared to me    
thoroughly unsatisfactory alike as      
church1 palace1 or monastery4 ,still1 to
 omit it altogether from any series of  
,spanish sketches with pen or pencil1   
would be to leave out the ,monument     
which reflects1 probably1 more perfectly
 than any other in the ,peninsula1 the  

mixture of arrogant extravagance1 and   
arid ascetism1 which characterized its  
most potent rulers in the plenitude of  
their historical importance4 ,in it1 in 
my opinion1 ,herrera proved himself an  
architect thoroughly worthy of the      
masters who employed him1 formal1       
pedantic1 cold1 extravagant to a degree1
 and yet mean4 ,that the building       
contains many most interesting works of 
art1 is as true1 as that a visit to it  
should on no account be omitted by any  
one who would at all attempt to realize 
what the ,spanish ,court may have been  
in the days of ,philip ,,ii42 but1 after
 all1 ,i am bound to confess that what  
most pleased me in the vast edifice1    
with the exception of some few pictures 
and illuminated books1 was the work of  
,italians and not of ,spaniards1 viz41  
the marble crucifix of ,benvenuto       
,cellini1 the magnificent gilt bronze   
statues of the ,kings and ,queens of    
,spain in the ,church1 by ,pompeio      
,leoni1 and the decorations of the      

,library1 principally by ,pelegrino     
,tibaldi4 ,to such a judgment may be    
objected that the structure now is not  
what it was1 let us see what an acute   
observer says of it1 writing late in the
 seventeenth century3--  ,a while after 
we went to the ,escurial1 which to give 
it no less than its due1 may in ,spain  
pass for an admirable structure1 but    
where building is understood1 would not 
be looked on as very extraordinary4 ,in 
a general consideration1 it seems a mass
 of stone of great perfection2 but going
 to particulars1 scarce any of them but 
falls very short of the magnificence    
imagined1 and that so much1 that if     
,philip the ,second1 who built it1 and  
was called the ,solomon of his age1 did 
no more resemble that wise king then    
this edifice does his ,temple1 to which 
it is often compared1 the copy comes    
very short of the original2 in the      
meantime to stretch the comparison they 
please themselves in saying1 that       
,charles the ,fifth1 like another       

,david1 only designed his holy work1    
which 7being a man of war and blood7    
,god reserved for his son4 ,ignorant    
strangers are entertained with this     
tale1 but such as are versed in history 
tell us1 that after the battle of ,st4  
,quentin1 ,philip the ,second made two  
vows1 one never to go in person to the  
wars1 the other to build this cloyster  
for the ,order of ,st4 ,jerome instead  
of that which had been burnt1 it cost   
him near six millions of gold1 though   
out of consideration of parsimony and   
convenience of bringing stone1 he made  
choice of the worst situation in nature1
 for it is at the foot of a barren      
mountain1 and hard by a wretched village
 called ,escurial1 that can hardly lodge
 a man of any fashion2 this may seem    
very strange to those that know the     
,court is there twice in a year3 the    
place it stands on is1 by transcendence1
 called the ,seat1 because it was       
levelled in order to build on4  ,the    
fabrick is very fair1 with four towers  

at the four corners1 but coming to it1  
one knows not which way to enter1 for as
 soon as out of the great walk1 in a    
kind of ,piazza1 you see only little    
doors1 which1 when you are over it1 lead
 into two pavilions1 that contain       
offices and lodgings for some of the    
,court2 when you have well viewed this  
side of the square1 you come to that    
which is towards the mountain1 where    
there is a very large magnificent       
portal1 on each side beautify'd with    
pillars2 by this stately gate you enter 
a quadrangle1 where right over against  
it stands the ,church1 ascended to it by
 a stair of five or six steps1 as long  
as the ,court is large1 extending from  
one side of it to the other1 very fair  
columnes support the porch1 and on the  
top of the wall stand six statues1 the  
middlemost of which are ,david and      
,solomon1 by whom they would represent  
,charles the ,fifth1 and ,philip the    
,second4 ,about the church are many     
pavillions1 all comprehended in the     

exact square which environs that        
building4 ,report mentions many         
,bascourts1 but we could not reckon     
above seven or eight4 ,that this is a   
very fair cloyster for ,friers cannot be
 denied1 neither can it be allowed to be
 a pallace magnificent enough for such a
 monarch as ,philip the ,second1 who    
having built it in one-and-twenty years1
 and enjoyed it twelve or thirteen1     
boasted1 that from the foot of a        
mountain and his closet1 with two inches
 of paper1 he made himself obeyed in the
 ,old and ,new ,world4  ,the ,king and  
,queen's apartments have nothing in them
 that appears roial1 they are altogether
 unfurnished1 and they say1 when the    
,king goes to any of his houses of      
pleasure1 they remove all to the very   
bedsteads2 the rooms are little and low2
 the roofs not beautiful enough to      
invite the eyes to look up to them2 its 
many pictures of excellent masters1 and 
especially of ,titian1 that wrought a   
great while there1 are very much        

vaunted1 yet there are not so many as   
report gives out4 ,the ,spaniards have  
so little understanding of pictures1    
they are alike taken with all1 and the  
,marquis ,serragenovese1 that           
accompanied us1 sufficiently laughed at 
the foolishness of a ,castillian1 who1  
willing to have us admire the slightest 
and wretchedest landskipes of a gallery 
where we were1 told us nothing could    
equalize them1 because in a place where 
their ,king sometimes walked4 ,there are
 yet in the vestry some good pieces1    
especially a ,christ1 and ,mary         
,magdalen2 and in the ,church others    
very estimable4 ,for paintings in       
fresco1 the quire1 done by ,titian1 is  
doubtlessly an excellent work1 and so is
 the library1 ,i think by the same hand1
 where amongst the rest is represented  
the ancient ,roman manner of defending  
criminals1 who stand by bound hand and  
foot2 ,cicero is also there pleading for
 ,milo1 or some other1 ,i not being     
sufficiently acquainted with his meen1  

to be positive1 and without apprehension
 of mistaking2 this library is truly    
very considerable1 as well for its      
length1 breadth1 height1 and light2 the 
pictures and marble tables that stand in
 the midst of it1 as for its quantity of
 choice and rare books1 if we may       
believe the monks2 they are certainly   
very well bound and guilded1 and if ,i  
mistake not1 but seldom read4 ,in the   
vestry1 they show priests' copes1 where 
embroidery and pearl with emulation     
contend whether art or matter renders   
them more rich and sumptuous2 they      
showed us a cross of very fair pearl1   
diamonds1 and emeralds2 it is a very    
pretty knack1 and would not become less 
such if it changed countreys1 ,i would  
willingly have undertaken for it if they
 would have suffered it to pass the     
,pyreneans1 had it been only to show my 
friends a hundred thousand crowns in a  
nut-shell4 ,the library ,i have spoken  
of1 the high altar and monument of their
 kings1 which they call ,pantheon       

7though ,i know not why1 unless because 
a single round arch like the ,pantheon  
at ,rome71 are certainly the best pieces
 of this magnificent fabrick4 ,the high 
altar is approached by steps of red     
marble1 and invironed by sixteen pillars
 of jasper1 which reach the top of the  
quire1 and cost only a matter of fifty  
or sixty thousand crowns cutting1       
between these are niches with statues of
 guilded brass1 and so there are on the 
side of the tables and praying places4  
,the ,pantheon is under the altar1 and  
descended by stairs1 though narrow1 very
 light2 at the entrance of this rich    
chappel1 a marble shines1 whose lustre  
is heightened by reflexion of the gold1 
with which all the iron-work and part of
 that fair stone are overlaid4 ,in the  
middle of it1 and right against the     
altar1 is a fair candlestick of brass1  
gilded1 and in six several niches1      
twenty-four sepulchres of black marble  
to receive as many bodies2 above the    
gate are two more4 ,this stately        

monument is small1 but sumptuous1 it was
 finished by the present ,king1 who1    
about six months since placed there the 
bodies of ,charles the ,fifth1 ,philip  
the ,second1 and ,philip the ,third4    
,the first was most intire2 in the      
niches1 on the left1 lie the ,queens1   
and the last of them ,queen ,elizabeth  
of ,burbon4 ,he that preached the day   
that these seven tombs or sepulchres had
 bodies laid in them1 began by his      
apprehension to speak in presence of so 
many kings who had conquered the world1 
and expressed himself so well1 and so   
highly pleased the ,king that he got a  
yearly pension of a thousand crowns4    
,nothing attaining such perfection as to
 secure it from the teeth of criticks1  
the three pieces ,i have now mentioned1 
have been attacqued by them4 ,it is     
objected against the ,library1 that its 
entrance suits not with its magnificence
 and grandeur1 and that it stands as if 
stoln in1 and not of the same piece with
 the rest4  ,over against the great     

altar1 where all is so well             
proportioned1 they wish away a silver   
lamp1 whose size corresponds not with   
that of the place it burns in1 which is 
vast and large4 ,in the ,pantheon they  
find great fault1 that all the steps by 
which it is descended are not marble1   
and that the sides of the walls are not 
incrusted with it1 the chappel being all
 so1 and a like magnificence requisite  
everywhere4 ,in the brazen candlestick1 
the inner part which is not guilded is  
discerned amongst the black and foul    
branches that extend from it4 ,it cost  
ten thousand crowns1 which is ten times 
more than it is worth2 but it is common 
in this country to boast things of      
excessive price1 which they would have  
admired on that account1 as if because  
they are foolish merchants1 the ware    
they buy too dear1 were therefore the   
more valuable4 ,these are my            
observations of the so famous ,escurial1
 adorned only by some small parterras   
and fountains2 one side of it affords a 

handsome prospect1 but the ground near  
it is the greatest part rock or heath1  
some walks and groves are planted about 
it1 but being cold and windy1 trees     
thrive not4 ,there are some deer in a   
kind of park1 ill-designed1 and with    
very low walls1 the way to it is nothing
 pleasant1 and the ,king who goes       
thither thrice every year1 one of which 
times is in the winter1 cannot certainly
 find any great diversion in those      
journeys1 for during three months all is
 covered with snow4  ,nothing need be   
added1 ,i think1 to so graphic a boutade
 as this1 which1 though somewhat        
satirical1 would not appear to have been
 much too highly coloured for the       
occasion4  ,illustration3 ,,plate #bh   
,,segovia  ,,gate ,,in ,,walls  ,,mdw   
#ahfi     ,,plate ,,xxviii4  ,,segovia4 
,,gateway ,,in ,,the ,,city ,,walls4    
,,there is probably no city in all      
,spain1 and few perhaps in any part of  
the world1 in which within a similar    
compass1 so many good1 although         

fragmentary1 materials could be found   
for illustrating styles and inflections 
of style in building1 from the days of  
the ,romans through those of the ,moors 
and ,christians1 up to the period of the
 ,renaissance1 than ,segovia4 ,of this  
last named period1 two of the greatest  
masters1 ,gil de ,ontaon and his son    
,rodrigo1 have nobly left their mark in 
the splendid ,cathedral1 a worthy rival 
to that of ,salamanca1 also executed    
from the designs1 and under the personal
 superintendence of the elder of the two
 ,ontaones4 ,the city1 probably1 owes   
these varied monuments to its merits1 as
 a strong1 as well as a beautiful       
position4 ,under these circumstances1 it
 is not to be wondered at that its old  
walls should offer many features of     
interest as well as picturesqueness4 ,in
 fact1 to the educated eye1 the former  
is almost a necessary ingredient to     
making up the latter4 ,as ,i wended my  
way upwards1 therefore1 from the railway
 station to the town1 through this      

gateway1 about which ,i caught          
indications here of one style1 and there
 of another1 ,roman1 ,moor1 and         
,christian doing here a jot and there a 
little1 that ,i should linger on my way 
for awhile2 partly1 perhaps1 to cool    
myself1 and partly to make the little   
sketch ,i present herewith to my        
readers4  ,i need1 perhaps1 only add    
that the rough but effective cornice of 
the gateway is made up from its top to  
its bottom by different combinations of 
common tiles1 and that its little       
enriched frieze is a specimen of the    
clever stucco-work1 probably executed by
 workmen of ,moorish descent in         
,renaissance times4 ,the whole1 even to 
the painting of the ,virgin1 is roughly 
executed1 but is not the less graceful1 
perhaps1 from the apparent absence of   
all effort4 ,an aspect of spontaneity in
 works of art has its own particular    
charm1 as has the semblance of the most 
careful solicitude under appropriate    
circumstances4 ,the true artist1 heedful

 of his when and how1 is master of both 
moods4  ,illustration3 ,,plate #bi      
,,segovia  ,,mdw #ahfi  ,,the ,,alcazar4
 ,,hall ,,of ,,the ,,kings4     ,,plate 
,,xxix4  ,,segovia4  ,,archway ,,in     
,,the ,,hall ,,of ,,the ,,kings4   ,,don
 ,juan ,alvarez de ,colmenar1#af writing
 at the commencement of the eighteenth  
century1 gives the following description
 of the ,royal ,palace at ,segovia--    
,the ,alcazar1 he says1 is situated on a
 mountain in the highest part of the    
city4 ,it is entirely covered with lead2
 the access to it being by means of a   
staircase cut in the rock4 ,there is    
always a sentinel in the towers1 and on 
a platform may be seen many cannons of  
which the greater number are pointed    
against the city and the residue towards
 the faubourg and country4 ,it contains 
sixteen richly tapestried chambers1 one 
of which has a fire-place of porphyry4  
,thence a descent may be made to another
 platform smaller than the first        
mentioned1 also furnished with cannon4  

,from this1 access is obtained to a     
small chamber with gilt dado1 marble    
fire-place1 and walls covered with      
mirrors up to the ceiling4 ,near this   
room is the ,royal ,chapel1 splendidly  
gilt and decorated with very fine       
pictures1 amongst which that of the     
,magi is of the highest beauty4 ,issuing
 from the chapel is a magnificent hall  
gilt from top to bottom4 ,it is called  
the ,sala de los ,reyes1 7literally the 
,hall of the ,kings17 because therein   
are all the ,kings of ,spain from       
,pelayo to ,jane1 mother of the         
,emperors ,charles ,v4 and ,ferdinand4  
,they are represented seated on thrones 
under canopies1 so artistically worked  
that they look like agates4 ,there is   
another hall lined with glasses of the  
height of three feet1 with marble seats 
and ceilings gilt with pure gold4 ,all  
these halls are differently ornamented1 
and with the exception of the gilding   
there is not one like the others4 ,the  
river which surrounds the chteau forms  

its moat4#ag  ,i have preferred quoting 
this old description to giving one of   
the present aspect of this once splendid
 palace1 since of all its magnificence  
nothing is now left but its massive     
walls covered here and there with       
elegant stucco-work1 some of which is   
given in my sketches1 and its commanding
 and noble position which is one of very
 great natural strength4 ,here it was   
that the ,moors1 who never failed to    
fortify such spots1 reared the great    
central tower around which1 after its   
capture by the ,christians1 the ,spanish
 sovereigns built the palace which      
contained the majority of the apartments
 described by ,colmenares1 employing the
 subjugated ,moorish artificers for many
 of the original decorations4 ,in #adab1
 a splendid hall called1 from its       
celebrated ceiling1 the ,sala del       
,arteson1 was completed1 as testified by
 an inscription to that effect given at 
length by ,cean ,bermudez4#ah ,other    
inscriptions mark the work executed by  

the king1 ,henry ,,iv41 in #adeb1 #adef1
 and #adeh1 who resided in it amidst his
 treasures1 and the glorious spoils     
taken in what one inscription designates
 la guerra de los ,moros4 ,here dwelt   
,isabella la ,catolica1 and at a later  
date ,charles ,v4 ,the decorations      
described by ,colmenares were probably  
for the most part those executed by     
command of ,philip ,,ii41 the elegant   
stucco work given in the sketch 7,no4   
#bi7 being clearly of the time of ,henry
 ,,iv4 ,here lodged our ,charles ,i4 in 
#afbc4 ,the wretched ,philip ,v4 with   
congenial propriety converted it into a 
prison1 justifying ,le ,sage's amusing  
sketch of the committal to it of ,gil   
,blas4 ,many of the ,algerine and       
,barbary pirates taken by the ,spanish  
men-of-war were here confined4 ,at      
length it was converted into an academy 
for artillery cadets1 and made a        
miserable sort of ,woolwich4            
,decorations were torn down1 old windows
 blocked up1 and new ones made in the   

most barbarous style4 ,stoves were      
placed in most dangerous situations1    
until as a natural consequence a fire   
broke out1 and the coup de grce was     
given to the glories of this palatial   
fortress1 which is now alike useless for
 royal1 military1 or civic purposes4    
,illustration3 ,,plate #cj  ,,mdw #ahfi 
,,segovia4 ,,alcazar4     ,,plate ,,xxx4
  ,,segovia4  ,,detail ,,from ,,the     
,,alcazar4   ,in describing the last    
sketch 7,no4 #bi71 some particulars were
 given of the building from which both  
that and this 7,no4 #cj7 were taken4 ,it
 may be well to note now the peculiar   
style of design illustrated by both4    
,this style is what is technically known
 in ,spain as ,mudejar1 i4e41 neither   
,gothic nor ,moorish strictly1 but a    
compound of both4 ,the date of these    
particular specimens happens to be well 
fixed by the inscriptions to which      
allusion has been recently made1 and of 
one of which a portion is shown in the  
sketch 7,no4 #cj71 as running           

horizontally between two string courses 
on each side of the small quasi-rose    
windows4 ,this ,mudejar work was        
certainly executed between the years    
#adeb and #adeh1 in the reign of        
,enrique ,,iv41 ,king of ,castille4 ,it 
was the wise policy of the most         
sagacious of the ,spanish monarchs in   
their contests with the ,moors1 to      
half-shut their eyes to what they could 
not eradicate1 viz41 the secret         
,islamism of the race4 ,they long       
continued this laudable inclination to  
tolerate and use the skilful ,arabian   
artificers1 under ,christian guidance   
and superintendence1 in the various     
localities in which they successively   
planted the ,standard of the ,cross1    
tearing down that of the ,crescent4 ,at 
last the inflation which followed their 
ultimate conquests under ,ferdinand and 
,isabella1 led to the establishment of  
the pernicious ,inquisition1 the        
teterrima causa of infinite misery1 and 
the subverter of tolerance and progress 

throughout the country4 ,from that      
period gradually disappeared--lingering1
 as we shall have occasion to observe1  
much longer in the ,south than in the   
,north--the skilled artificer1 learned  
in all the technicalities1 and the      
elaborate geometrical principles of the 
combination of ornamental form1 which   
,arabian genius had engrafted upon the  
traditions of ,ancient ,rome1 handed    
down to them through the medium of      
,byzantium4 ,the very antagonism of     
creed induced the ,moor to avoid        
polluting his art with types of form or 
processes borrowed from the ,christian1 
as he would have avoided polluting his  
faith with ,catholic legend or tenets4  
,hence when he and his became the spoil 
of the ,christian1 which1 to a great    
extent1 they did1 the ,christian        
necessarily inherited no unimportant    
addition to his repertory of beautiful1 
fresh1 and valuable arts and industries4
 ,this precious inheritance was not     
altogether appreciated by the           

,spaniards1 as it might have been by a  
people of greater producing energies2   
but in spite of their comparative       
ineptitude1 they gained greatly by the  
leaven of ,moorish skill and talent2 and
 as one of the first and best fruits of 
the gradual conquest and absorption of  
the race1 we may certainly reckon the   
leading features of the ,mudejar style4 
,illustration3 ,,plate #ca  ,,el        
,,parral4  ,,mdw #ahfi  ,,segovia4      
,,plate ,,xxxi4  ,,segovia4  ,,exterior 
,,view ,,of ,,the ,,monastery ,,of ,,el 
,,parral4   ,,in ,mr4 ,street's work on 
,gothic ,architecture on ,spain1 so     
justly praised by all who know anything 
of ancient ,spanish ,art will be found  
on ,plate ,,viii a sketch plan1 and on  
pages #ahe and #ahf a full description  
of this extensive old ,convent1 and     
especially of the ,church of the ,vera  
,cruz to which it is attached4 ,i felt1 
therefore1 that my duty to the student  
would be best fulfilled by simply laying
 before him a sketch of the exterior to 

supplement ,mr4 ,street's ground plan1  
referring the student for all further   
information to his work4 ,it would have 
been easy to extract from ,cean         
,bermudez the same historical details2  
but it could only have resulted in a    
thrice-told tale4 ,it may suffice to    
note that the entrance to the ,convent  
may be sought 7with much but rarely     
effectual knocking and ringing7 through 
the curious old porch represented in my 
sketch on the right hand of the ,church1
 which should be visited in the morning1
 on account of its beautiful arrangement
 of lighting1 mainly from the ,east4    
,illustration3 ,,plate #cb  ,,alcala    
,,de ,,henares4 ,,colegio ,,de ,,san    
,,ildefonso4  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate   
,,xxxii4  ,,alcala-,,de-,,he,,ares4     
,,exterior ,,of ,,the ,,colegio ,,de    
,,san ,,ildefonso4   ,,such a man as    
,francis ,ximenez de ,cisneros--the     
founder of the ,university at ,alcala de
 ,heares--would have been a man amongst 
men anywhere2 but in ,spain1 his union  

of prudence with strength1 courage with 
calmness1 learning in the closet with   
action in the field1 humility with      
aptitude for supreme command1           
benevolence with the sternest energy1   
raised him rapidly from poverty and     
insignificance to the ,regency of that  
country4 ,so aggrandized1 he ruled the  
kingdom for many years1 until his death1
 in #aeag1 with far greater wisdom1 and 
more to the benefit of the ,state1 than 
any ,sovereign who has ever sat upon its
 throne4 ,this is not the place in which
 to dwell upon his life1 intensely      
interesting as it was1 but only to      
briefly allude to the relics of his     
greatness as displayed in ,alcala de    
,heares1 in which locality he himself   
commenced his studies4 ,protected by    
,mendoza he became confessor to         
,isabella in #adib1 who made him        
,archbishop of ,toledo in #adie4 ,three 
years afterwards he founded his great   
,university dedicated to ,saint         
,ildefonso2 but which1 in honour of his 

ever famous labour1 the compilation of  
the ,complutensian ,polyglot1#ai bears  
the distinguished name in ,spain of the 
,universidad ,complutense4  ,the        
building1 of which the main block of the
 faade shown in my sketch1 is about one 
hundred feet long1 by about sixty-five  
feet high1 contains no less than three  
,patios of different styles4 ,it was    
designed by ,pedro ,gumiel1 and1 as     
originally planned1 finished in #aecc1  
by ,rodrigo ,gil4 ,the whole faade which
 is of marble1 with the exception of the
 basement of grey granite1 was no doubt 
entirely the work of the last named     
architect4 ,the structure has been well 
illustrated1 architecturally1 in the    
great government publication--the       
,monumentos ,arquitectonicos de         
,espaa--to which the student may be     
referred for the details of this immense
 establishment4 ,about it1 in the days  
of its full prosperity1 there were      
grouped no less than eleven thousand    
students1 and nineteen colleges4        

,nothing shows1 perhaps1 more clearly   
the high estate from which the poor     
,spain of the present day has fallen1   
than a contrast between the muster rolls
 of the ,university of ,madrid of late  
years1 and those of ,salamanca1 and     
,alcala1 in the sixteenth century4  ,the
 visitor to the ,colegio of ,alcala     
should on no account omit to see the    
chapel built by ,gil de ,ontaon1 since  
within it rests the ,wolsey of ,spain4  
,upon a monument of white marble1 by the
 skilful hand of ,domenico of ,florence1
 reposes an effigy of ,cardinal         
,cisneros4 ,a lithograph of this and of 
the quasi-,mudejar style of the chapel  
is given in the work of ,villa ,amil1#bj
 and we may well take to heart the      
concluding sentence of the description  
of it by ,patricio ,escosura3--,una     
pregunta1 y concluimos2 ,cuantos        
monumentos como el que acabamos de      
ejaminar dejarmos nosotros en herencia  
nuestros nietos899  ,illustration3      
,,plate #cc  ,,alcala ,,de ,,henares    

,,arzobispado  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate  
,,xxxiii4  ,,alcala-,,de-,,he,,ares4    
,,window ,,of ,,the ,,arzobispado4      
,,the ,archi-episcopal ,palace of       
,alcala de ,heares is a building of many
 periods and many styles4 ,founded upon 
the ,old ,alcazar1 of which vestiges    
remain1 it contains several pretty      
medival windows1 one of which ,mr4      
,street thought not unworthy of his     
pencil4 ,the late ,plateresque details  
of its double ,patios arrested my       
attention1 and ,i was pleased to observe
 in them a more than usual elegance of  
moulding1 and originality1 with         
propriety of style4 ,on account of their
 possession of these qualities1 their   
invention and the execution of the      
medallion-heads and ornaments have been 
ascribed to ,alonzo ,berruguete1 whose  
studies in ,florence have been looked   
upon as the main agents in purifying the
 then prevalent tendency to exuberance  
in ,plateresque design to which he might
 have surrendered himself1 but for his  

opportunities of becoming acquainted    
with the works of ,michael ,angelo and  
other great contemporary masters of     
,italian ,art4 ,if ,berruguete had no   
hand in this work1 7and ,i have been    
able to find no proof whatever that he  
had71 it lends greater probability to   
the theory ,i have ventured to broach in
 the description of the next sketch1    
which is taken from another but         
contemporary part of the same building4 
,another attribution of the design of   
these details has been to ,alonso de    
,covarrubias1 but ,i can find no other  
authority for it than the fact that     
,ponz considered them to resemble       
certain windows of the ,alcazar at      
,toledo which were known to have been   
designed by that master4  ,illustration3
 ,,plate #cd  ,,el ,,arzobispado        
,,alcala ,,de ,,henares     ,,plate     
,,xxxiv4  ,,alcala-,,de-,,he,,ares4     
,,detail ,,from ,,the ,,arzobispado4    
,,although commonly described as        
,plateresque1 the architecture of the   

,patio of the ,archbishop's ,palace at  
,alcala de ,heares1 of which my sketch  
represents the detail of the upper      
story1 excites a far more forcible      
reminiscence of good cinque-cento work4 
,it seems to have been executed         
principally by ,spaniards of the        
sixteenth century1 but still to have    
been founded on pure ,italian models4   
,this is particularly shown1 as it      
appeared to me1 in the regular form of  
the bell and volutes of the capitals of 
the columns with the well drawn and cut 
acanthus leaves1 and the regular eggs   
and tongues of the cornice4 ,recognising
 this1 and noticing the correspondence  
in style between the execution of this  
work1 and that of the architectural     
parts of the monument to ,cardinal      
,cisneros alluded to in the description 
of the last sketch but one1 ,i could not
 but fancy it possible that the same    
artist1 ,domenico of ,florence1 who is  
allowed to have produced that monument1 
may1 after its completion1 have been    

retained to work upon the ,patios of the
 ,archi-episcopal ,palace2 and possibly 
also upon some portions of the faade of 
the ,university which was not as we know
 set in hand until some time after the  
,cardinal's death4  ,illustration3      
,,plate #ce  ,,toledo  ,,mdw #ahfi      
,,plate ,,xxxv4  ,,toledo4  ,,view ,,of 
,,the ,,remains ,,of ,a ,,moorish       
,,fortress ,,on ,,the ,,river4   ,,the  
situation of ,toledo is most romantic1  
and presents as many charms from its    
beauty to the architect1 as the site for
 a commanding city1 as no doubt it      
offered from1 its great natural         
strength1 to the man of war who must    
needs have regarded it as an almost     
heaven-born fortress4 ,it owes much1    
both of its beauty and its strength1 to 
the clear and abundant current of the   
,tagus1 which more than half surrounds  
it4 ,this river has1 as we shall have   
occasion to observe1 been nobly spanned 
by ,roman1 ,moor1 and ,christian2 and on
 its banks are yet traceable1 in        

architectural fragments1 the handiwork  
of each of those races4  ,our sketch    
represents a passage of this river which
 has once been commanded by the ,moorish
 fortress1 above the tapia or concrete  
remains of which1 some shade-loving     
,spaniard of to-day has planted his     
vines and gourds1 and reared his modest1
 but neither unpicturesque nor          
altogether uncomfortable1 tenement4 ,a  
fortification of this kind was much     
affected by the ,moors for salient      
points1 on account of the command it    
gave them of the various directions from
 which attack might be apprehended1 and 
was called by them ,almodovar4  ,charles
 ,didier has admirably described the    
charms of such a position1 as that      
occupied by the world-renowned capital  
of ,new ,castille1 in the following     
passage of his ,anne en ,espagne1 ,tolde
 doit  sa situation1 says he1#ba une    
inpuisable richesse de sites et de vues4
 ,la montagne escarpe dont elle couvre  
les flancs est spare par le ,tage d'une 

autre montagne non moins escarpe1 mais  
nue1 dserte1 abandonne  la strilit et   
tombant  pic dans le fleuve4 ,a micte   
est le chteau ruin de ,saint ,cervantes4
 ,un petit ermitage1 la ,virgen del     
,valle1 est gar au sommet2 mais1 bti au 
milieu des rochers1 il s'en dtache      
peine et se confond avec eux3 des       
troupeaux de chvres sauvages errent     
l'entour1 et1 presque aussi sauvage     
qu'elles1 le ptre1 vtu de peaux1 apporte
 au seuil de la ville les moeurs de la  
sierra4 ,ces contrastes sont frappants1 
mais ce sont les vues surtout qui       
captivent2 quoique born1 le spectacle   
est vari2 les masses granitiques dont la
 montagne est forme s'adoucissent       
au-dessus du pont ,saint ,martin1 et des
 villas1 appeles dans le pays           
cigarrales1 tendent sur la pierre nue et
 gristre de frais tapis de verdure2     
c'est le seul point champtre du paysage1
 tout le reste est sec et dpouill4 ,la  
montagne n'a pas un arbre4 ,la varit nat
 des mouvements du sol et des           

anfractuosits du rocher2 les            
perspectives sont courtes1 mais         
frappantes2 tantt l'oeil plonge sur le  
,tage1 qui serpente en mandres verdtres 
entre les deux collines2 tantt la ville 
apparat hrisse de ses innombrables      
clochers1 puis le rideau retombe1 et    
enferronn dans une gorge dserte et      
muette1 on pourrait se croire tout d'un 
coup transport dans quelque solitude    
primitive4 ,ces brusques alternatives   
ont un grand charme2 elles impriment  ce
 paysage austre et mlancolique un       
profond cachet d'originalit4            
,illustration3 ,,plate #cf  ,,toledo    
,,bridge ,,of ,,alcantara  ,,mdw #ahfi  
,,plate ,,xxxvi4  ,,toledo4  ,,bridge   
,,of ,,alcantara4   ,the brief words in 
which ,ford gives the chronology of this
 ,bridge of ,bridges1 carries one to the
 long series of ,lords and ,masters who 
have made of ,toledo a perfect mine of  
,archological interest4 ,the ,roman one1
 he says1 was repaired in #fhg by the   
,goth ,sala2 destroyed by an inundation1

 it was rebuilt in #hga1 by the ,alcaide
 ,halaf1 repaired in #abeh by ,alonzo el
 ,sabio1#bb restored by ,archbishop     
,tenorio about #achj1 and fortified in  
#adhd by ,andres ,manrique4 ,to crown   
the whole and make it safe for ever1    
,philip ,,ii4 placed it1 by solemn      
dedication1 under the especial          
protection of ,san ,ildefonso1 who      
certainly appears to have done his duty 
hitherto1 as ,i saw few signs of repair 
or want of it from the middle of the    
sixteenth century till now4 ,i need     
scarcely say1 that it crosses the ,river
 ,tagus in one noble and most lofty     
span1 and connects the walled city with 
its dependencies across the water4      
,nothing can be more picturesque than   
this bridge1 or indeed than the whole   
aspect of the position of the city      
placed upon seven hills1 forming one    
lofty and rocky eminence1 around which1 
on more than two sides1 tears the       
,tagus4 ,conspicuous in my sketch is the
 lofty ,tower controlling access from   

the ,bridge to the ,city on the side of 
the commanding ,alcazar1 as literally   
the royal residence1 as ,alcantara is in
 ,arabic the ,bridge4 ,cean ,bermudez#bc
 tells us1 that one ,mateo ,paradiso was
 the architect1 who in #abag constructed
 a tower 7probably1 in at least the     
greatest part1 the same which now       
remains7 upon this famous bridge4 ,in   
support of his opinion1 he cites ,estvan
 de ,garibay1 who in the ninth volume of
 his unedited ,works fol4 #eab tit4 #f1 
speaking of the ,memorabilia of ,toledo1
 says with reference to this ,bridge1   
that the river suddenly rising destroyed
 one of its pillars in the month of     
,february1 #abaa1 placing the bridge in 
peril of falling4 ,as soon as it had    
been repaired1 ,henrique ,i4 caused a   
tower to be built upon it for the       
greater security of it and of the city1 
as appears by an original inscription   
which once existed upon the tower in    
these words4       ,henry1 son of the   
,king ,alfonso1 caused this tower to be 

built in      honour of ,god1 by the    
hand of ,matheo ,paradiso in the year   
#abee4  ,another tower of the time of   
,charles ,v4 guards the access to the   
,bridge from the side farthest from the 
city1 that from which my sketch has been
 taken4  ,illustration3 ,,plate #cg     
,,toledo  ,,puente ,,de ,,san ,,martin  
,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate ,,xxxvii4       
,,toledo4  ,,bridge ,,of ,,san ,,martin4
   ,,amirola#bd has given us an         
excellent account of the origin of this 
noble medival bridge1 upon which the    
following short statement is mainly     
based4 ,near to the site on which the   
bridge of ,st4 ,martin now stands at    
,toledo1 there was formerly a fine      
,roman bridge4 ,this having been        
entirely destroyed for useful purposes1 
by a tremendous flood which rose1       
according to the most ancient annals of 
,toledo1 in the year #abab1 the city    
determined upon building another bridge 
upon a better site4 ,having erected     
abutments of vast strength1 which were  

ultimately crowned and weighted with two
 towers for defence1 and having bedded  
two solid piers in the line of the      
stream1 their master of the works1      
,rodrigo ,alfonso1 proceeded to span it 
with one of three lofty arches1 two of  
which are shown in my sketch4 ,this     
magnificent arch of one hundred and     
forty ,spanish feet in width1 and       
ninety-five in height was destroyed in  
the terrible struggle between the ,king 
,don ,pedro1 and his brother ,don       
,henrique1 in the year #acfh4 ,it was   
shortly after rebuilt1 and the bridge   
generally repaired by the great ,don    
,tenorio1 ,archbishop of ,toledo4 ,villa
 ,franca1 ,alcala de ,heares1 and the   
neighbourhood of ,alamin1 all boasted of
 bridges put up by the same ,rodrigo    
,alfonso1 who designed the bridge of    
,san ,martin at ,toledo4  ,beyond the   
bridge1 in my sketch1 appears on the    
crest of the hill the mass of the       
beautiful1 though somewhat over florid  
church1 ,san ,juan de los ,reyes4       

,having been erected by ,ferdinand and  
,isabella1 in a period as late as #adgf1
 it fails to enlist the sympathies and  
approbation of some2 others have praised
 it enthusiastically1 and certain it is1
 that if it may have possessed faults   
when complete1 scarcely anything can be 
more picturesque as a ruin4             
,illustration3 ,,plate #ch  ,,toledo    
,,moorish ,,gateway ,,by ,,the ,,bridge 
,,of ,,alcantara4  ,,mdw #ahfi          
,,plate ,,xxxviii4  ,,toledo4  ,,moorish
 ,,gateway ,,by ,,the ,,bridge ,,of     
,,alcantara4   ,near to the bridge of   
,alcantara 7sketch ,no4 #cf7 on the road
 leading up from it to the city1 stands 
the celebrated ,moorish gateway of the  
,puerta del ,sol4 ,this strong1 large1  
and well fortified approach to the city1
 ,i found to labour under two marked    
disadvantages for my sketch-book1 viz41 
it had been too often illustrated1 and  
its curious details had been so         
vigorously restored 7when ,spaniards do 
restore there is no mistake about it71  

as to have lost in a great degree its   
original and authentic characteristics4 
,i looked about1 therefore1 in the      
immediate vicinity of the bridge1 for   
other vestiges of the antiquity of the  
city4 ,these ,i soon came upon in the   
old gateway of which ,i give a sketch1  
and to the construction of which1 both  
,roman and ,moor have contributed4 ,as  
the poor heavily laden mules laboured up
 the dusty stony road1 with the patience
 of1 in ,spain1 a much-abused race1 it  
was impossible not to speculate upon the
 generations upon generations which had 
followed in the same track up the same  
road1 on the same duty1 through every   
vicissitude of occupation of the        
,gateway1 through which they swayed     
monotonously from side to side4         
,illustration3 ,,plate #ci  ,,toledo    
,,arco ,,del ,,zocodover  ,,mdw #ahfi   
,,plate ,,xxxix4   ,,toledo4  ,,entrance
 ,,archway ,,of ,,the ,,zocodover4      
,,although as appears from the steps    
shown in my sketch rising up through    

this archway1 which is known as that of 
the ,zocodover1 or more properly        
,zocodober1 which means in ,arabic1     
according to ,cean ,bermudez1 a place   
upon a lower level1 the archway is      
situated upon an ascent1 it by no means 
follows that there may not be a higher  
plane to which it may still be a        
descent4 ,such is the case in the       
,zocodover of ,toledo1 which is really  
the ,place of the city in the usual     
,french1 or the ,piazza in the ,italian1
 sense4 ,it is reached from without the 
walls by the steps shown1 and is yet    
literally the lower ,place when compared
 with the platform of the ,alcazar or   
,royal ,residence4 ,of great strength1  
it must in its time have been the scene 
of terrible struggles1 and blood        
shedding1 as it dates from the days when
 ,moors ruled in the ,north of ,spain1  
and had to be wrested from the          
descendants of its builders only by many
 a tussle between the upholders of the  
,crescent and the ,cross4 ,on the inside

 of the city to the market place it has 
been modified1 and ,italianised1 but to 
the thousands who pass up it daily from 
the lower parts of the outskirts1 it    
wears its original ,oriental aspect4    
,ford gives to the word ,zocodover quite
 another meaning and derivation4 ,he    
explains it as the square market4       
,whether he or ,bermudez may be right1  
,i know not1 but1 certain it is that    
either meaning may be aptly fitted to   
describe the spot to which our gateway  
leads--a spot of no comfortable         
memories--since it still reeks with the 
cruelties of genuine ,spanish           
diversions1 ,autos da ,fe1 and ,fiestas 
de ,toros4  ,illustration3 ,,plate #dj  
,,toledo  ,,taller ,,del ,,moro  ,,mdw  
#ahfi     ,,plate ,,xl4  ,,toledo4      
,,interior ,,of ,,the ,,taller ,,del    
,,moro4   ,,from the spring of the year 
#gab1 when ,tarik1 with his renegade    
,jews and ,berbers1 wrested the city    
from its ,gothic rulers1 to the spring  
of the year #ajhe1 when ,alfonso        

,,vi4--the ,emperor as he styled himself
 after having won his                   
laurels--reconquered the city for the   
,christians1 ,toledo remained altogether
 an ,oriental city4 ,as such1 it was    
inhabited by ,berbers1 strict           
,mahommedans and ,jews1 the last named  
being occasionally tolerated and        
occasionally persecuted as they had been
 by the ,goths1 and subsequently were by
 the ,castilian ,christians4 ,the       
duration of this tenure of power has to 
be borne in mind continually1 in the    
endeavour to assign dates to the        
,moorish monuments of this city1 of     
which there are a great number4 ,it is  
of course true that long after the date 
of ,alfonso's conquest the ,moorish     
artificers worked for the ,christians1  
but such was their constant condition of
 subjection that it is not to be        
credited that any one of them could have
 been allowed to live in the wealth and 
luxury1 in which the inhabitants of such
 a ,moorish house1 as that known as the 

,taller del ,moro1 a beautiful fragment 
of which forms the subject of the       
fortieth sketch1 must have lived4 ,i    
can1 therefore1 have no hesitation in   
repudiating for the date of its origin1 
as late a period as #acej1 which has    
been assigned to it4 ,on the other hand1
 ,i am no less confident that ,seor     
,escosura1 who has written of it as of  
between the ninth and tenth centuries1  
is also in error4 ,what ,i believe is1  
that this elegant set of chambers was   
really one of the latest works in the   
city immediately preceding its capture  
by ,alfonso1 in #ajhe4 ,the style of its
 work is certainly later than any of    
that executed under the ,khalifate of   
,corduba while in the hands of the      
,ummeyh family4 ,it belongs1 ,i believe1
 to the school of the ,almohades1 and   
reflects some of the novelties in       
complicated geometry introduced by the  
,arabs of ,damascus1 in advance of the  
,ummeyhs4 ,they held to earlier types1  
as may be seen in all the works at      

,corduba1 including even those ascribed 
to the author of the splendid ,mih-rb or
 sanctuary1 the ,sultan ,al-,hakem      
,,ii41 who completed the cubba1 or      
,cupola of the ,mih-rb 7the most        
complicated piece of design in all      
,cordova7 in the year ,a4,d41 #ife4     
,all that is left at present of this    
once sumptuous mansion consists of a    
central chamber1 7fifty-four feet long  
by twenty-three feet wide71 approached  
from a court-yard1 the usual ,moorish   
,alfagia1 7no doubt1 by the doorway     
shown on the right hand side of my      
sketch71 and of two chambers1 one at    
each end of the central one4 ,traces of 
colour and gilding have almost entirely 
disappeared1 but the stucco             
ornamentation1 where not wilfully or    
heedlessly destroyed1 retains all its   
original sharpness and beauty4 ,i found 
the ,taller del ,moro in full use1 or   
rather abuse1 as a carpenter's workshop4
  ,illustration3 ,,plate #da  ,,toledo  
,,la ,,magdalena  ,,mdw #ahfi           

,,plate ,,xli4  ,,toledo4  ,,tower ,,of 
,,the ,,church ,,of ,,la ,,magdalena4   
,,toledo is1 or rather has been1 a city 
of peculiar devotion4 ,its ,christian   
medival architecture ,mr4 ,street has   
fully illustrated1 but he has passed    
hurriedly over some of the remains of   
that peculiar mixed style in which      
,christians usually gave the order1 and 
,moors did the work4 ,i have1           
accordingly1 sketched two               
,christiano-,moorish campaniles which he
 has not given1 and one which he has1   
but from a different point of view4     
,the steeple of ,la ,magdalena is1 ,i   
fancy1 of two periods1 the construction 
from the ground to the base of the      
belfry being of one class1 and the      
belfry itself of another4 ,it has all   
the appearance of having been the old   
tower of a mosque previous to the       
conquest of ,toledo by ,king ,alfonso1  
and of having been subsequently taken   
down to a certain level1 and the belfry 
chamber and bells added1 on the         

christianising of the structure4  ,it is
 built almost entirely of brick1 and    
although simple to the extent of        
rudeness1 its mass yet groups well with 
the long roof lines of the convents by  
which it is as it were hemmed in4  ,as  
the student wanders through these old   
streets of ,toledo1 rendered so         
picturesque by remnants of old ,moorish 
use and ceremony1 his mind is naturally 
attracted to the days when the mezquita 
took the place of the church1 and was   
thronged by the worshippers of the ,one 
,god and ,mahomet his ,prophet1 by day  
and by night4 ,the description given of 
the comparatively modern ,moors in the  
account of ,commodore ,stewart's embassy
 to the ,emperor of ,morocco1 in the    
year #agba1 seems to carry us back to   
the days when ,toledo1 and many other   
cities of ,spain1 owned no other faith  
than that defined by the ,koran4 ,the   
,moors1 says the writer1#be seem not 7as
 we do7 to observe the day for business1
 and the night for sleep1 but sleep and 

wake often in the four-and-twenty hours1
 going to church by night as well as    
day1 for which purpose their ,talbs call
 from the top of the mosques1 7or places
 of worship7 having no bells1 every     
three hours throughout the city4 ,in    
going to church they observe no gravity1
 nor mind their dress2 but as soon as   
the ,talb begins to bellow from the     
steeple1 the carpenter throws down his  
axe1 the shoemaker his awl1 the tailor  
his shears1 and away they all run like  
so many fellows at football2 when they  
come into church1 they repeat the first 
chapter of the ,alcoran standing1 after 
which they look up1 and lift up their   
hands as much above their heads as they 
can1 and as their hands are leisurely   
coming down again1 drop on their knees  
with their faces towards the ,kebla1 7as
 they call it7 or ,east and by ,south2  
then touching the ground with their     
foreheads twice1 sit a little while on  
their heels muttering a few words1 and  
rise up again4 ,this they repeat two or 

three times1 after which1 looking on    
each shoulder1 7,i suppose to their     
guardian angels7 they say1 ,selemo      
,alikoon 7i4e417 ,peace be with you2 and
 have done4 ,when there are many at     
prayers together1 you would think they  
were so many gally-slaves a rowing1 by  
the motion they make on their knees4    
,illustration3 ,,plate #db  ,,toledo    
,,tower ,,of ,,san ,,pedro ,,martire    
,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate ,,xlii4         
,,toledo4  ,,moorish ,,tower ,,of ,,san 
,,pedro ,,martire4   ,,plate ,forty-two 
presents us with another type of        
,christiano-,moorish ,campanile from    
that given by the last sketch4 ,in this 
case the usual fashion of the medival   
church builders of dividing the total   
height of the tower into several        
compartments1 pierced with largish      
openings on more than one floor1 has    
been followed4 ,the regular ,arabian    
praying-tower is generally simply the   
inclosure of a staircase1 with a        
gallery1 or open chamber1 only at the   

summit1 from which the faithful are duly
 summoned by the ,imaum to their        
devotions4 ,the conversion of one or    
more stories into belfries1 however1    
indicates 7where the work is clearly    
that of a ,mahommedan artificer71 that  
he has been working only for the        
performance of the behests of a         
,christian1 as in the case of the ,tower
 of ,san ,pedro ,martire at ,toledo4    
,the ,church itself exhibits only a     
clumsy and overgrown ,palladian style of
 a thoroughly commonplace description1  
gloomy and uninteresting4               
,illustration3 ,,plate #dc  ,,toledo    
,,sant' ,,jago ,,del ,,la ,,vega  ,,mdw 
#ahfi     ,,plate ,,xliii4  ,,toledo4   
,,tower ,,of ,,the ,,church ,,of ,,sant'
 ,,iago ,,de ,,la ,,vega4   ,,this      
,church appeared to me to retain more of
 the primitive ,mezquita1 or mosque1    
than any other in ,toledo1 excepting the
 celebrated ,christo de la ,luz4 ,its   
aspect is most picturesque as one       
descends from the city towards the      

,vega1 or once rich and lovely plain4 ,i
 could not help recognizing in it how   
good an effect might be produced in our 
ordinary street architecture by the use 
of common brick1 provided that the      
masses of the construction should be    
artistically disposed1 and used without 
the appearance of pinching here and     
paring off there1 which spoils many of  
our usually too ambitious efforts4  ,in 
all such work as this in ,spain1 one is 
reminded only of the bottom of the purse
 when the work remains unfinished4 ,with
 us the aspect of the fond-du-sac begins
 generally with the beginning1 with the 
first lines of the disposition of the   
plan1 and ends only with the end of the 
whole4 ,as far as appearances go in this
 structure1 differences of style from   
those of the rest of the building shown 
in my sketch in the belfry1 and in the  
apsidal end of the choir of the ,church1
 and in one or two other parts1 seemed  
to point to those features of the design
 as being of considerably later date    

than that of the rest of the building4  
,if the primitive ,moorish work may have
 been of the middle of the eleventh     
century1 the ,christiano-,moorish may   
have been of the end of the thirteenth4 
,illustration3 ,,plate #dd  ,,toledo    
,,hospital ,,of ,,the ,,holy ,,cross    
,,plate ,,xliv4  ,,toledo4  ,,external  
,,view ,,of ,,the ,,hospital ,,of ,,the 
,,holy ,,cross4   ,,descending from the 
main ,piazza of the city1 through the   
gateway shown by the thirty-ninth       
sketch1 the great ,hospedal de la ,santa
 ,cruz is speedily reached4 ,this is    
generally considered the finest example 
of ,plateresque 7literally              
silversmith's7 ,architecture left in    
,spain4 ,its founder was the all        
powerful ,cardinal ,d4 ,pedro ,gonzalez 
de ,mendoza1 ,tertius ,rex1 of ,castile1
 ,consolidator of the ,monarchy1 and    
,father of the absolute supremacy of the
 ,catholic ,church in ,spain4 ,the style
 of this building1 and the circumstances
 of the birth and training of its       

architect1 raise the important question 
of the extent to which the ,plateresque 
style in ,spain may1 or may not1 have   
been of national origin8 ,it appears    
that in #adei1 a certain ,anequin de    
,egas de ,bruselas 7or ,brussels7 of the
 ,cathedral of ,toledo1 in his capacity 
of ,maestro ,mayor1 with his assistant  
,juan ,fernandez de ,liena1 executed the
 faade of the main southern transept of 
that ,cathedral1 and the entrance       
familiarly known as de los ,leones4 ,in 
this work1 the architecture is of florid
 ,burgundian-,gothic1 with scarcely a   
trace of ,renaissance about its original
 design4 ,anequin died in #adid1 and his
 son ,henrique was appointed1 by the    
,chapter of ,toledo1 to succeed his     
father as ,maestro ,mayor1 the duties of
 which office he performed until his    
death in #aecd4 ,henrique was the       
favourite architect of the ,king ,d4    
,fernando1 and of his son1 the          
,archbishop ,d4 ,alonso1 who actually   
disputed1 in #aeje1 as to which of them 

should for awhile avail themselves of   
his exclusive services4 ,he was called  
in to every important consultation of   
architects of his time1 and was         
evidently au courant of the great       
changes of style which had been         
developed in ,italy1 and which were in  
course of development in ,france1 and in
 and about his father's native place4   
,his influence as a naturalizer of the  
exotic details of which models were     
furnished to artists by the prints and  
portable works of the petits matres1 is 
clearly manifested when we recognise the
 early dates at which his florid        
,renaissance buildings were executed4   
,for instance1 in those designed for    
,cardinal ,mendoza1 the dates of which  
are well known1 we find ,renaissance    
features well carried out with scarcely 
any admixture of ,gothic4 ,the earliest 
of these is the vast ,colegio ,mayor de 
,sta4 ,cruz at ,valladolid1 which       
,henrique began in #adhj and completed  
in #adib1 and the second the splendid   

,hospital for ,foundlings at ,toledo    
7#aejd to #aead7 from which the sketch1 
now under consideration1 and the two    
which follow it have been taken4 ,in    
describing the second of these sketches1
 we shall resume our consideration of   
the ,plateresque style generally from   
the point at which it is now left4 ,it  
may be well1 however1 with relation to  
this sketch1 to state that it shows the 
principal portal or great entrance to   
the ,hospital1 and that the top story   
appears to be of later date and coarser 
execution than the portal and the two   
elegant windows of the first floor4 ,the
 carving in the lunette of the doorway  
represents1 in very good style1 the     
invention of the ,cross with ,sta4      
,helena and the ,founder4 ,the colour of
 the stone1 and the quality of the      
workmanship leave nothing to be desired4
  ,illustration3 ,,plate #de  ,,toledo  
,,santa ,,cruz  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate 
,,xlv4  ,,toledo4  ,,cortile ,,of ,,the 
,,hospital ,,of ,,the ,,holy ,,cross4   

,,it is in the interior rather than on  
the exterior of the ,toledo ,foundling  
,hospital1 that ,henrique de ,egas has  
best shown his command over the         
,plateresque style4 ,it was no longer in
 designing the former a question of     
adding on ornament in fanciful door and 
window dressings1 as it was in the      
latter1 but a necessity to adapt from   
existing models1 or originate essential 
parts of the structure1 executing       
important functions of use and          
stability4 ,the columns1 arches1 and    
interspacing of the arcading of the     
,patios evidence by their proportions1  
quite as much as by their details1 that 
,henrique's and his employer's backs had
 been turned upon ,gothic1 and that a   
new style had been inaugurated for      
,spanish architecture1 as the successes 
of ,ferdinand and ,isabella1 and the    
discovery of ,america1 had laid the     
foundations of an entirely new era for  
,spain4  ,the construction of the       
building under notice was begun by      

,cardinal ,mendoza1 under ,henrique1 in 
#aejd2 the year in which those          
,sovereigns ascended the throne1 and    
completed in the year #aead4            
,simultaneously with the commencement of
 the great ,hospital for the ,tertius   
,rex1 ,henrique designed a still more   
extensive and magnificent ,hospital     
which the ,reyes ,catolicos proposed to 
construct at ,santiago1 and entered upon
 many other great architectural works in
 other parts of ,spain4 ,ford1 who was  
no mean judge1 says of the ,hospedal de 
la ,santa ,cruz1 that its position      
overlooking the ,tagus is glorious1 and 
the building is one of the gems of the  
world2 nor can any chasing of ,cellini  
surpass the elegant ,portal4  ,there is 
little doubt that ,egas was stimulated  
to great exertion by the rivalry of many
 competitors1 few of whom1 however1     
designed in exactly his style4 ,the work
 which most resembles his1 ,i believe1  
will be found in the detail of the      
wonderful ,plateresque ,town ,hall at   

,seville1 and that of the ,cathedral at 
,plasencia4  ,that so magnificent a     
,palace 7for such it is7 should have    
been thought necessary1 or at any rate  
should have been indulged in1 for the   
reception of foundlings1 is to be       
partially accounted for by an old       
assertion ,i have met with1 that the    
,spaniards1 not knowing the parentage of
 the nios perdidos1 gave them the       
benefit of the doubt1 and considered    
them all as children of ,hidalgos1 a    
questionable compliment to the boasted  
morality1 or at any rate austerity1 of  
the upper classes4  ,illustration3      
,,plate #df  ,,toledo  ,,hospital ,,of  
,,the ,,holy ,,cross4  ,,mdw #ahfi      
,,plate ,,xlvi4  ,,toledo4  ,,doorway   
,,from ,,the ,,hospital ,,of ,,the      
,,holy ,,cross4   ,,the facts that      
,moorish workmen should have been found 
in ,toledo1 ,segovia1 and elsewhere in  
,spain1 to modify their national style1 
in their ,mudejar work1 and to          
incorporate freely in it many features  

of late medival work2 while they        
scarcely ever lent themselves to any    
expression of ,renaissance form1        
although they occasionally laboured in  
buildings of that style1 have been      
supposed to imply a greater affinity    
between ,arabian and ,gothic modes of   
design1 than between the ,arabian style 
and ,plateresque4 ,this may1 to some    
extent1 account for the presence of this
 ,mudejar work1 assimilating in no way  
with the last-mentioned style1 in a     
building of so distinctly a ,renaissance
 character as this one possesses4 ,the  
fact is1 however1 rather thus--that     
after the expulsion of the ,moors1 and  
the institution of the ,inquisition 7the
 period of the construction of this     
,hospital71 the ,moorish artificers     
diminished very rapidly in number1 and  
lost their individuality almost entirely
 in ,northern and ,central ,spain2 and  
that1 whereas1 during several centuries 
they had lived there in cities in which 
,gothic architecture was practised by   

,christians1 and had thus made          
themselves partially acquainted with its
 details1 they had but a short term of  
scarcely tolerated national existence   
wherein to learn the novelties which    
were beginning to be taken up by the    
,spaniards1 at the commencement of the  
sixteenth century4  ,my sketch1 while it
 indicates the elaboration of this late 
specimen of ,mudejar stucco-work1 shows 
by the figures ,i have introduced 7from 
life7 the class to whose tender mercies 
this gem is now confided4 ,let it be    
hoped that the ,genius loci1 may protect
 it1 for the respectable ,spanish       
soldier of the nineteenth century can   
scarcely be regarded as a satisfactory  
,conservative element4  ,illustration3  
,,plate #dg  ,,toledo ,,great ,,doorway 
,,of ,,the ,,alcazar  ,,mdw #ahfi       
,,plate ,,xlvii4  ,,toledo4  ,,entrance 
,,gateway ,,to ,,the ,,alcazar4   ,,the 
,royal residence1 for such is the       
meaning of the word ,alcazar1 of        
,toledo1 is one of the two great        

,palaces which ,charles ,v4 caused to be
 constructed in order that ,spain might1
 for the first time1 have ,royal        
,residences commensurate with her       
grandeur and wealth4 ,he appears to have
 chosen the same architect for both in  
the person of ,alonso de ,covarrubbias4 
,this distinguished artist was born in  
the locality1 in the diocese of ,burgos1
 from whence he derived his name4 ,at an
 early age he allied himself with the   
family of the ,flemish ,egas1           
distinguished in the highest degree as  
architects in the persons of ,anequin   
and his son ,henrique4 ,the wife of     
,alonso de ,covarrubbias was a certain  
,maria ,gutierrez de ,egas1 and by her  
he became the father of several sons1   
who in different ways 7not in           
architecture7 achieved great distinction
 and consideration4 ,to return to the   
architectural career of ,covarrubbias4  
,through the interest of ,henrique de   
,egas1 and probably in succession to    
him1 ,alonso ,covarrubbias was appointed

 ,maestro ,mayor of the ,cathedral of   
,toledo1 whereupon he settled himself   
altogether in that city with his brother
 ,marcos4 ,his great work in ,toledo    
,cathedral was the famous ,chapel de los
 ,reyes nuevos1 which he completed in   
the year #aecd4 ,he is then said to have
 given some plans to ,cardinal ,d4      
,alonso de ,fonseca1 for the improvement
 of the ,archbishop's ,palace at ,alcala
 de ,heares 7see my notes on that       
structure1 ,sketches1 ,nos4 #cc and     
#cd74 ,he subsequently occupied himself1
 until #aecg1 in designing and carrying 
out the splendid entry to the ,colegio  
,mayor 7known as that of the            
,archbishop7 in ,salamanca1 and other   
works4  ,in the last mentioned year he  
was appointed1 by ,charles ,v41 with    
another architect1 ,luis de ,vega1 to   
make plans for rebuilding the ,royal    
,palaces of ,toledo and ,madrid4 ,this  
commission was subsequently modified1   
giving to ,covarrubbias the works of    
,toledo1 and to de ,vega those at       

,madrid4 ,the ,alcazar of ,toledo had   
been originally built by ,king ,alonso  
,,vi41 on the highest point of the city1
 when he took it from the ,moors in     
#ajhe4 ,it had been added to at various 
dates1 chiefly by the powerful ,alvaro  
de ,luna1 and lastly by the ,reyes      
,catolicos4 ,what ,charles ,v4 caused to
 be built1 consisted of a faade of great
 extent1 a magnificent vestibule1       
court-yard and staircase1 on all of     
which he placed his insignia4 ,the      
,portal ,i have sketched1 is stated by  
,cean ,bermudez1 from whom most of the  
above mentioned facts have been derived1
 to have been constructed by ,henrique  
de ,egas1#bf under the direction of     
,covarrubbias who closed an honourable  
life1 much favoured by his ,sovereign1  
in #aegj4  ,the ,spaniards are justly   
proud of the noble simplicity and grand 
style of ,covarrubbias1 which has none  
of the coldness and heaviness of        
,herrera's2 and this is one of the rare 
cases in which they have made1 of late  

years1 a really splendid and not        
over-loaded restoration4 ,upon the      
whole1 the ,alcazar at ,toledo is one of
 the few buildings existing in ,spain   
which reflects1 particularly in its     
grand ,cortile1 the magnificenze of the 
,italian ,renaissance1 in their         
completest form4  ,illustration3 ,,plate
 #dh  ,,toledo ,,hospedal ,,de ,,tavera 
,,patio  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate        
,,xlviii4  ,,toledo4  ,,patio ,,of ,,the
 ,,hospital ,,of ,,cardinal ,,tavera4   
,,the great ,cardinal ,primate1 whose   
name this gigantic ,hospital still      
bears1 was a worthy successor to        
,mendoza and ,cisneros4 ,in #aedb he    
employed the ,architect ,bartholom de   
,bustamente to design and construct the 
four faades of this enormous pile4 ,not 
particularly attractive from without1   
internally the extent1 fine proportions1
 and simplicity of its great ,patios are
 very striking4 ,it is one of the most  
regular pieces of ,italian architecture 
,i met with in ,spain1 and would have   

produced a highly satisfactory effect if
 its upper arches had been semi-circular
 instead of elliptic4 ,the ,hospital is 
dedicated to ,st4 ,john the ,baptist1   
and is placed without the walls of the  
city1 whence its cognomen of a fuera4   
,the ,church of the ,hospital is older  
in style if not in date than the rest of
 the structure4 ,here in the room       
beneath the clock died the famous       
,berruguete in #aefa1 shortly after     
completing the portal of the ,church and
 the marble monument within it which    
commemorates the cardinal virtues of the
 illustrious founder4  ,illustration3   
,,plate #di  ,,cordoba  ,,casa ,,cabello
  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate ,,xlix4       
,,cordoba4  ,,exterior ,,of ,,the ,,casa
 ,,cabello4   ,,this pretty entrance to 
a ,spanish nobleman's house of the      
latter part of the sixteenth century    
has1 like most of its class1 little     
story to tell1 and that little1 could ,i
 but unravel it1 would probably turn out
 to be only of the dullest4 ,let us see1

 therefore1 from a contemporary witness1
 what manner of life was ordinarily led 
by the class of nobles for one of whom  
it may have been fitted up in the       
fashion of the century succeeding that  
in which it was built4 ,in the morning  
as soon as they are up they drink water 
cooled with ice1 and presently after    
chocolate4 ,when dinner time is come1   
the master sits down to table2 his wife 
and children eat upon the floor near the
 table2 this is not done out of respect1
 as they tell me1 but the women cannot  
sit upon a chair1 they are not          
accustomed to it2 and there are several 
ancient ,spanish women who never sat    
upon one in their whole life4 ,they make
 a light meal1 for they eat little      
flesh2 the best of their food are       
pigeons1 pheasants1 and their olios1    
which are excellent2 but the greatest   
lord has not brought to his table above 
two pigeons1 and some very bad ragoust1 
full of garlick and pepper2 and after   
that some fennel and a little fruit4    

,when this little dinner is over1 every 
one in the house undress themselves and 
lie down upon their beds1 upon which    
they lay ,spanish leather-skins for     
coolness2 at this time you shall not    
find a soul in the streets2 the shops   
are shut1 all the trade ceased1 and it  
looks as if every body were dead4 ,at   
two o'clock in the winter and at four in
 the summer they begin to dress         
themselves again1 then eat sweetmeats1  
drink either some chocolate or water    
cooled in ice1 and afterwards everybody 
goes where they think fit1 and indeed   
they tarry out till eleven or twelve    
o'clock at night2 ,i speak of people    
that live regularly2 then the husband   
and wife go to bed1 a great table-cloth 
is spread all over the bed1 and each    
fastens it under their chin4 ,the he and
 she-dwarfs serve up supper1 which is as
 frugal as the dinner1 for it is either 
a pheasant-hen made into a ragoust1 or  
some pastry business1 which burns their 
mouth it is so excessively peppered2 the

 lady drinks her belly full of water1   
and the gentleman very sparingly of the 
wine2 and when supper is ended each goes
 to sleep as well as they can4          
,illustration3 ,,plate #ej  ,,seville   
,,la ,,feria     ,,plate ,l4  ,,seville4
  ,,church ,,of ,,la ,,feria4   ,,la    
,,feria in ,seville1 has been time out  
of mind the essence of all that is most 
,picaresque in the city4 ,not quite so  
thronged with ,gitanos and ,gitanas as  
the suburb of ,triana1 it makes up for  
shortcomings in that element of         
rascality and picturesqueness1 by majos 
and majas1 rustic beaux and belles1     
bull-fighters and beggars1 dogs and     
donkeys1 mules and muleteers1 rags and  
tatters1 and abundance of the most      
gloriously coloured fruits under the    
sun--and1 above all1 there reign such a 
sun and such a sky as denizens of the   
,north have really little or no notion  
of4 ,as if these elements of the picture
 were not enough1 by way of background1 
stands a church in which the battle of  

the ,styles seems to have been fairly   
fought out1 with the victory now        
inclining to ,moor1 and now to          
,christian1 while over all is seen a    
little of the ,renaissance1 with more   
than a suspicion1 in the heavy scrolls  
of the highest belfry1 of               
,churriguerismo4  ,while ,i sat on a    
door-step making this poor little       
sketch1 ,i think ,i must have seen      
,murillo's by the dozen1 and ,john      
,phillips' by the hundred1 not on       
canvas1 but glowing with ,nature's own  
light1 and life1 and colour4            
,illustration3 ,,plate #ea  ,,seville   
,,san ,,marcos  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate 
,,li4  ,,seville4  ,,church ,,of ,,san  
,,marcos4   ,,some notion of the        
richness of ,seville1 in the remains of 
old ,moorish mosques converted into     
,christian churches1 may be formed from 
the fact that this edifice1 in which we 
trace the two styles blended in the most
 interesting way1 finds no mention in   
the pages of ,ford1 ,o',shea1 ,mellado1 

or any other guide books of ,spain ,i   
have been able to meet with1 except     
,bradshaw's4 ,in that1 ,dr4 ,charnock   
thus briefly alludes to ,san ,marcos4   
,note1 says he1 its beautiful western   
faade which has served as a model for   
several churches2 the ,retablo of the   
,altar de las ,animas1 contains a       
painting by ,d4 ,martinez2 the tower    
rising to the left of the ,church in    
imitation of the ,giralda1 is a fine    
monument of ,arabian architecture4 ,it  
is1 of course1 to the grand portal1     
rather than to the whole faade1 that    
,dr4 ,charnock alludes1 since the former
 from the purity of its apparently late 
fifteenth century work1 merits his      
praise1 while the latter cannot         
certainly be regarded as other than a   
barbarismo4  ,the tower1 particularly   
pleasing in the style of its ,mudejar   
additions1 has been engraved in         
elevation in los ,monumentos            
,arquitectonicos4 ,it is about          
seventy-five feet high by ten feet wide4

  ,illustration3 ,,plate #eb  ,,seville 
,,la ,,feria  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate   
,,lii4  ,,seville4  ,,remains ,,of      
,,mudejar ,,house ,,near ,,la ,,feria4  
,,the habit of the ,moors was almost    
universally to make their exterior      
architecture plain1 and to reserve      
richness and elaboration for the        
interiors of their houses4 ,the fact    
that what is commonly internal          
architecture has been used by ,moorish  
workmen on the external faade of the    
little house1 which forms the subject of
 this fifty-second sketch1 would be     
sufficient of itself to prove that it   
had not been executed for a ,moor1 even 
if the ,gothic mouldings and ornaments  
of the buttresses1 imposts1 cornices1   
and string courses failed to assert the 
,christianity of those for whom the     
house may have been built4 ,the date of 
its construction1 judging from style1   
was probably about the middle of the    
fifteenth century1 at which period1 in  
,spain1 ,renaissance features had in    

nowise affected the integrity of either 
,gothic or ,moorish architecture4 ,in   
this case all the mason's work is       
,gothic1 and all the stucco-work is     
,moorish2 and this distinction of style1
 according to the technical mode of     
construction1 is not an uncommon feature
 of ,mudejar work4 ,it was not only in  
stucco that the traditions of ,moorish  
art-workmanship enriched all ,spain1    
since both in metal-work and wood-work1 
the ,moors continued to be employed long
 after their subjugation1 preserving    
very many of their old and excellent    
types of form throughout many phases of 
transition4 ,to this subject ,i may have
 occasion to recur4 ,i was myself       
fortunate enough to meet with a         
beautiful little walnut-wood box1       
covered with ,mudejar ornament1 in the  
midst of which a ,moorish workman of the
 sixteenth century had carved the       
,i4,h4,s4 of ,christianity1 and the     
sword of ,sant' ,iago4  ,illustration3  
,,plate #ec  ,,seville ,,fonda ,,de     

,,madrid  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate       
,,liii4  ,,seville4  ,,mudejar ,,window 
,,in ,,the ,,fonda ,,de ,,madrid4       
,,this window which is of the class     
known as ,ajimez1 or literally through  
which the sun shines1 i4e4 in an        
external wall1 is a specimen of ,mudejar
 work left as a waif in a part of       
,seville which1 with this exception1 has
 been entirely modernised4 ,it belongs  
to exactly the house where one would    
least expect to find it1 viz41 one of   
the best hotels1 if not the best hotel1 
in ,seville1 the ,fonda de ,madrid4 ,all
 of this pretty window is made of       
brickwork1 once covered apparently in   
,moorish fashion with thin plaster1     
excepting the column which is of white  
marble4 ,the room it lights is an       
ordinary nineteenth century inn bedroom1
 with square casements1 and not a       
vestige of the fifteenth century left   
about it4 ,i could learn nothing about  
this relic1 or perfect reproduction of  
the past1 from any one in the hotel1 so 

that all ,i could do was to sketch it4  
,while doing so1 ,i could not but wonder
 how with so sensible1 and1 at the same 
time1 so pretty a window ready to their 
hands as a model1 the builders of the   
,fonda could have been contented to     
execute the regular expressionless      
square-headed windows ,i found          
everywhere else4 ,after a few minutes   
moralising in this vein1 ,i began to ask
 myself whether1 as an ,englishman1 ,i  
was not assiduously plucking the mote   
from my brother's eye1 with a beam all  
the time in my own8  ,illustration3     
,,plate #ed  ,,casa ,,de ,,pilatus      
,,seville  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate      
,,liv4  ,,seville4  ,,view ,,in ,,the   
,,upper ,,story ,,of ,,one ,,of ,,the   
,,patios ,,of ,,the ,,casa ,,de         
,,pilatus4   ,,the principal monument of
 ,moorish magnificence still left in    
,seville1 is1 of course1 the ,royal     
,residence1 the ,alcazar1 commenced in  
#aaha1 by ,jalubi1 the architect of     
,toledo4 ,next to it in importance is   

the ,casa de ,pilatus1 as it is called1 
from which this sketch1 and the         
succeeding one have been taken4 ,from   
the first named of these buildings ,i   
did not sketch at all1 feeling myself   
entirely baffled by the extreme         
elaboration of all that was most        
interesting and admirable in the old    
,moorish1 ,mudejar and ,plateresque     
work4 ,such a building can be in no wise
 now satisfactorily illustrated1        
excepting by one who may be in a        
position to devote much time and study  
to the task4 ,restoration1 and the      
adaptation of the structure to the      
necessities of nineteenth century life  
have so mystified the work and intention
 of the original designers1 that        
although one may readily admire1 it     
becomes exceedingly difficult to        
analyse1 all that meets the eye4 ,i     
have1 therefore1 preferred giving my    
attention1 so far as this publication is
 concerned1 to other1 although less     
noteworthy1 specimens of the domestic   

architecture of ,seville4  ,the student 
of the ,fine ,arts1 and even the        
ordinary traveller1 are sure1 without   
any urging on my part1 to visit and     
enjoy the ,alcazar1 as a ,royal ,palace2
 but may possibly1 and1 indeed1 unless  
advised on the subject1 probably1 may   
overlook the great beauty and curiosity 
of the old1 and now sadly neglected1    
,moorish and cinque-cento garden which  
lies in the rear of the building4 ,how  
to make a garden a delight the          
,mahommedans learnt from the ,persians1 
and taught by example1 if not by        
precept1 to the ,christians4 ,throughout
 these antique1 orange1 lemon1 box1 and 
myrtle1 groves1 the ,moors carried their
 system of irrigation4 ,fountains and   
fishponds1 baths and open water         
channels1 even in the hottest summer1   
still cool the favourite haunts4 ,many  
of these1 ,pedro el ,cruel caused to be 
formed in #acfd by architects specially 
brought from ,granada to rebuild a large
 portion of the ,palace1 for his        

accommodation and that of his celebrated
 and beautiful mistress1 ,maria de      
,padilla4 ,much more modern1 and far    
less beautiful1 gardening was done by   
,charles ,v1 but it is to the ,moors the
 spot owes all its great charm4  ,to    
return to the ,casa de ,pilatus1 so     
called from an old tradition1 that it   
was intended as a reproduction of the   
house of ,pilate at ,jerusalem4 ,it was 
built in #aecc1 by ,fadrique ,henriquez 
de ,ribera1 after his return from a     
pilgrimage to ,jerusalem in #aeai4 ,from
 him the ,palace1 for such it was1 has  
descended 7and1 oh1 how much descended67
 to its present owner1 who is said to   
rarely visit it1 a ,duke of ,medina     
,coeli4 ,from the ,seor ,duque1 it has  
again descended to his ,administrador1  
who does his best to keep it 7for       
,spain7 clean1 and in tolerable order4  
,my sketch has been taken in the upper  
gallery of the third ,patio4            
,illustration3 ,,plate #ee  ,,seville   
,,house ,,of ,,pilatus  ,,mdw #ahfi     

,,plate ,,lv4  ,,seville4  ,,detail     
,,from ,a ,,doorway ,,in ,,the ,,upper  
,,floor ,,of ,,one ,,of ,,the ,,patios  
,,of ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,pilate4       
,,this sketch represents1 to a larger   
scale1 a portion of the doorway shown   
upon a small scale in the preceding     
sketch4 ,it illustrates two of the      
special points of architectural value in
 this fine old ,palace1 viz41 the       
entirely ,moresque character of the     
stucco-work at a comparatively late     
date1 and the profuse use of ,azulejos  
or coloured tiles4 ,some of these may be
 recognized1 although in a sketch in    
black and white1 it is not easy to make 
them apparent1 in the coverings of the  
lower part of the door jamb4 ,it is1    
however1 in and about the splendid      
staircase1 that this charming tile      
lining1 of the use of which we have here
 of late years commenced a very         
satisfactory revival1 asserts its value 
as a beautiful mode of introducing clean
 and permanent polychromatic            

decoration--the only mode1 indeed1 as ,i
 believe1 suitable for our changeful    
climate1 and smoky ways4  ,i regret that
 my sketch is not sufficiently minute to
 show a favourite habit of the ,moors of
 ,granada and ,seville1 in the technical
 working of their stucco1 by the use of 
which they give an appearance of        
extraordinary elaboration to their      
decorations4 ,it consists in working    
different patterns on different planes  
of the same piece of stucco-work4 ,at a 
distance the dominant lines of the      
pattern only are apparent1 on a nearer  
approach the pattern comes into sight   
which fills up the bold openings left   
between the dominant lines of the top   
pattern2 and on a still closer          
inspection1 a third series of forms     
running counter to the main lines of the
 pattern on the second plane and filling
 up the interstices of it may be traced4
 ,i am inclined to believe1 from their  
peculiar sharpness1 that few1 or none1  
of the repeats of these patterns were   

done from moulds by the operation of    
casting1 but that wire1 or cut metal    
stencils1 were used as guides for the   
pointed tools and knives1 by which      
superfluous plaster was removed1 whilst 
the whole was yet in a plastic state4   
,this method of shaping semi-plastic    
stucco with sharp tools1 was1 ,i have no
 doubt1 derived by the ,arabs from      
,roman tradition1 as ,i have seen many  
examples of a similar mode of working at
 ,rome1 ,pompeii1 ,naples1 and elsewhere
 in ,italy4  ,illustration3 ,,plate #ef 
,,seville ,,casa ,,alba  ,,mdw #ahfi    
,,plate ,,lvi4  ,,seville4  ,,one ,,of  
,,the ,,arches ,,of ,,the ,,patio ,,of  
,,the ,,casa ,,alba4   ,,how are the    
,mighty fallen1 is the predominant      
sensation1 as one wanders through these 
banquet halls deserted4 ,one may fairly 
paraphrase ,byron1 and declare that in  
,seville ,alba's echoes are no more4    
,ford and ,o',shea1 whose notes on the  
relics of domestic edifices in ,spain   
are invaluable1 both tell us that this  

still beautiful1 though sadly destroyed1
 whitewashed1 and dilapidated1 old      
,palace1 once contained eleven patios1  
nine fountains1 and one hundred marble  
columns4 ,of the elaboration of its     
workmanship1 my sketch may serve to give
 some idea4 ,it was probably next to the
 ,alcazar1 the most important residence 
in the ,city1 far surpassing in extent  
the ,casa de ,pilatus4  ,this house     
presents one of the rare instances in   
,spain1 in which the ,moorish           
stucco-workers have lent themselves to  
the rendering of ,renaissance details4  
,for these1 no doubt1 they were         
furnished with drawings or models1 since
 in other parts of the same building1   
and especially in many beautiful rooms  
in the interior1 where they have        
apparently been left to themselves1 they
 have reverted partly to ,mudejar work1 
and partly to the old types of          
geometrical enrichment1 which may be    
regarded as specifically their own4     
,much of this is almost reduced to a    

flat surface by repeated coats of       
whitewash4 ,i was very much pleased1    
however1 to meet with one ,spanish      
gentleman1 occupying a suite of rooms in
 the house1 who was fully alive to the  
beauty of the ,palace he lived in2 and  
who had1 with his own hands1 cleared off
 some of the whitewash1 and restored    
much of the fine ornamental detail of   
his rooms to its original sharpness4    
,would that there were more like him in 
,spain6  ,illustration3 ,,plate #eg     
,,seville  ,,mdw #ahfi  ,,casa ,,alba   
,,plate ,,lvii4  ,,seville4  ,,detail   
,,from ,,the ,,patio ,,of ,,the ,,casa  
,,alba4   ,,turning from a consideration
 of the grand scale upon which the      
houses of the old ,spanish nobility have
 been usually constructed1 and the      
elaboration with which1 as in the       
present sketch1 the profuse ornamental  
detail has been combined with heraldic  
insignia to set forth the splendour and 
dignity of the family and its alliances1
 to the ruin and dilapidation which seem

 to have fallen alike upon the          
architecture and the families1 one      
naturally wonders at the causes of the  
almost total wreck4 ,some may1 no doubt1
 be found in active assailment from     
without1 invasion1 revolution1 y otras  
cosas de ,espaa2 but it is from within  
that the real main enemy--pride--has    
undermined all4 ,during the latter part 
of the sixteenth1 and early part of the 
seventeenth century1 this national      
infirmity reached its acme4 ,witness    
emphatically the sketch given by an     
eye-witness towards the close of the    
last named century4  ,it would grieve a 
body to see the ill-management of some  
great lords2 there are divers who will  
never go to their estates 7for so they  
call their lands1 their towns1 and      
castles7 but pass all their lives at    
,madrid1 and trust all to a steward1 who
 makes them believe what he judges most 
for his own interest4 ,they will not so 
much as vouchsafe to inquire whether he 
speaks true or false2 this would be too 

exact1 and by consequence below them4   
,this1 methinks1 is one considerable    
fault2 the strange profusion of vessels 
only for an egg and a pigeon is another4
 ,but it is not only in these things    
which they fail1 but it is also in the  
daily expences of their houses4 ,they   
know not what it is to lay up stores1 or
 make provision of anything2 but every  
day they fetch in what they want1 and   
all upon trust1 at the bakers1 cooks1   
butchers1 and all other trades2 they are
 even ignorant what they set down in    
their books1 and they put down what     
price they will for every thing they    
sell2 this matter is neither examined   
into nor contradicted4 ,there are often 
fifty horses in a stable1 without either
 corn or straw1 and they perish with    
hunger4 ,and when the master is in bed1 
if he should be taken ill in the night1 
he would be at a great loss1 for they   
let nothing remain in his house1 neither
 wine nor water1 charcoal nor           
wax-candle1 and in a word nothing at    

all2 for though they do not take in     
provisions so near that there is nothing
 left1 yet his servants have a custom of
 carrying the overplus away to their own
 lodgings1 and the next day they furnish
 themselves with the same things again4 
,they observe no better rules with the  
tradesmen4 ,a man or woman of quality   
had rather die than to haggle for1 or   
ask the price of a stuff1 or lace1 or   
any other thing1 or to take the         
remainder of a piece of gold2 they      
rather chuse to give it the tradesman1  
for his pains of having sold them for   
ten pistoles that which was not worth   
five4 ,if there is a reasonable price   
made1 he that sells to them is so honest
 not to take the advantage of their     
easiness to give whatever is asked them2
 and as they have credit given them for 
ten years together1 without even        
thinking of paying1 so at last they find
 themselves under great difficulties    
with their debts4  ,illustration3       
,,plate #eh  ,,seville ,,casa ,,de ,,los

 ,,abades  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate      
,,lviii4  ,,seville4  ,,arches ,,from   
,,the ,,casa ,,de ,,los ,,abades4       
,,the architectural style of this very  
pretty house1 ,no4 #i1 in the ,calle de 
los ,abades1 is much purer1 that is more
 ,italian in its ,plateresque1 than is  
usual in other houses in ,seville in    
which the hand of the skilful ,moorish  
operative is to be distinctly perceived4
 ,this is to be accounted for by the    
fact1 that although the mansion existed 
as a house of importance at the         
commencement of the fifteenth           
century1#bg the architectural features  
which now meet the eye were all executed
 for the rich ,genoese family of the    
,pinedos about #aecc4 ,if it were not   
for the peculiar engrailed double edging
 to the arches1 the thinness of the     
marble central window shaft1 and a few  
oriental turns here and there given to  
the foliage1 and enrichments of the     
mouldings1 one could almost believe that
 this architecture was regular ,genoese 

cinque-cento4 ,it is possible however1  
that although here in the midst of      
ordinary ,spanish ,plateresque one is   
tempted to cry out ,oh6 how ,italian    
this is6 if one could only meet with a  
precisely similar building in ,genoa2   
one would be quite as much tempted to   
exclaim1 ,oh6 how ,spanish this is6 ,the
 fact of course is1 that it exhibits a  
mixture of the two styles1 produced     
under the exceptional circumstances to  
which ,i have alluded4  ,after passing  
from its ,genoese owners1 it was        
inhabited by certain ,abades1 rich      
members of the ,cathedral ,staff1 who   
left behind them their name1 but no very
 popular odour of sanctity1      ,en la 
calle de los ,abades1      ,todos han   
,tos1 y ningunos ,padres4#bh  ,so runs  
the jingle ,ford quotes1 with manifest  
glee1 adding as a sequel to bring the   
matter home to the right offenders1     
,los ,canonigos1 ,madre1 no tienen      
hijos2      ,los que tienen en casa1 son
 sobrinicos4#bi  ,possibly it may have  

been some of these very sobrinicos who  
hindered my sketching by many small     
practical chistes1 for as the ,patio    
served as a play-ground to a tumultuous 
little boys' school1 ,i found it by no  
means conducive to that state of mind   
which facilitates elaborate sketching4  
,i fear also that such an occupation of 
its graceful galleries may not prove    
conducive to the preservation of the    
noses1 and possibly even of the heads1  
of the ,caballeros de mucha             
consideracion1 who fill the medallions  
of the spandrels of the principal arches
 of the ,patio4  ,illustration3 ,,plate 
#ei  ,,casa ,,de ,,los ,,abades         
,,seville4  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate     
,,lix4  ,,seville4  ,,view ,,in ,,the   
,,patio ,,of ,,the ,,casa ,,de ,,los    
,,abades4   ,,in spite of all the habits
 of reckless extravagance1 in the days  
when ,america poured its countless      
riches into the mother-country1         
described by travellers2 and in spite of
 the quantity of money which must have  

been lavished on building by nobles and 
superior ecclesiastics1 7as in the case 
of the extremely elegant ,renaissance   
,casa de los ,abades which forms the    
subject of our fifty-eighth sketch17 the
 home-life of ,spain never approached   
the contemporary plenty and comfort     
which obtained in ,italy1 ,france1 and  
,england4 ,in spite of the occasional   
prodigality of wedding feasts1 such as  
that of ,camacho in ,don ,quixotte1 and 
in spite1 perhaps1 of a little          
occasional gourmanderie on the part of  
the ,seores ,abades of this ,calle1     
neither cooking nor service appear to   
have been carried to much perfection4   
,it is in fact very curious1 in         
wandering over any fine old ,spanish    
house1 to observe how little provision  
appears to have been made in them       
architecturally for the kitchen and its 
service4 ,ornament appears to have been 
much more general in the public parts of
 the richest houses than good fare in   
the interior and private parts4 ,nor was

 there any such movement towards excess 
in this particular1 as usually          
accompanies the passage of a wealthy and
 powerful people from wealth and power1 
through laziness1 to poverty and        
weakness4  ,so late as #agge1 the year  
in which ,philip ,thicknesse#cj         
travelled through part of ,spain1 and   
whilst it was yet a comparatively       
unbroken-up country1 domestic luxury had
 reached but a little way beyond the    
satisfaction of the simplest wants of   
nature in the simplest way4 ,the people 
of fashion in general1 he says1 have no 
idea of serving their tables with       
elegance1 or eating delicately2 but     
rather1 in the style of our forefathers1
 without spoon or fork1 they use their  
own fingers1 and give drink from the    
glass of others2 foul their napkins and 
cloaths exceedingly1 and are served at  
table by servants who are dirty1 and    
often very offensive4 ,i was admitted1  
by accident1 to a gentleman's house1 of 
large fortune1 while they were at       

dinner2 there were seven persons at a   
round table1 too small for five2 two of 
the company were visitors2 yet neither  
their dinner was so good1 nor their     
manner of eating it so delicate1 as may 
be seen in the kitchen of a ,london     
tradesman4 ,the dessert 7in a country   
where fruit is so fine and so plenty7   
was only a large dish of the seeds of   
pomegranates1 which they eat with wine  
and sugar4 ,in truth1 ,sir1 an          
,englishman who has been the least      
accustomed to eat at genteel tables1 is1
 of all other men1 least qualified to   
travel into other kingdoms1 and         
particularly into ,spain4               
,illustration3 ,,plate #fj  ,,seville   
,,mdw #ahfi ,a ,,peep ,,into ,,an       
,,ordinary ,,patio     ,,plate ,,lx4    
,,seville4  ,a ,,peep ,,into ,,an       
,,ordinary ,,patio4   ,,in several      
previous notices1 ,i have described the 
uses of the ,patios in olden times1 and 
on a large scale1 and the degree to     
which they have been made1 as           

architectural contrivances1 to fall in  
with popular manners and customs4 ,it   
remains to notice the extent to which   
the ,spaniards of to-day sympathise in  
this respect with their forefathers1 and
 how essential the ,patio still is to   
the happiness of domestic life4 ,it is  
at once cool and airy1 and may be made  
quite private or semi-public at         
pleasure4 ,with its iron gate to the    
street closed1 and a screen drawn across
 it1 it becomes private1 and with its   
door opened it occupies in modern life  
exactly the position which the ,atrium  
used to occupy in ancient classical     
life4 ,an awning1 drawn across from side
 to side of the ,patio1 answers to the  
,roman ,velarium1 closing the           
,impluvium1 and gives shade and softened
 light during the glare of mid-day1     
allowing the court of the house to be   
used as the ordinary sitting-room of the
 family4 ,theophile ,gautier#ca gives a 
pretty picture of the facility with     
which the ,patio may be converted at    

night into the ,salon1 in which what    
answers to the ,soire of the ,french is 
usually given by the ,spaniards4 ,the   
,tertullia1 he says1 is held in the     
,patio which is surrounded by columns of
 alabaster1 and ornamented with a       
fountain1 the basin of which is         
encircled with flowers and masses of    
foliage1 on the leaves of which the     
trickling drops fall in small showers4  
,six or eight lights are suspended      
against the walls1 chairs and sofas of  
straw or cane furnish the arcades2      
guitars are laid about here and there1  
and the piano occupies one angle and a  
whist-table another4 ,the guests1 on    
entering1 salute the master and mistress
 of the house1 who never fail1 after the
 usual compliments1 to offer a cup of   
chocolate1 which may or may not be      
refused1 and a cigarette which is       
generally accepted4 ,these duties       
fulfilled1 the visitor may attach       
himself to whichever group in the       
corners of the ,patio he may consider   

most attractive4 ,the family and the    
elderly guests play cards4 ,the young   
gentlemen talk to the young ladies1 and 
in fact1 if they are so minded while    
away the time in innocent flirtation1 or
 perhaps less innocent gossip and       
tittle-tattle4 ,the ,patio thus becomes 
the stage on which the elegant seoritas 
display their most winning fascinations1
 and spin cobwebs to catch flies in the 
shape of novios4  ,it is principally in 
those cities in which classical and     
oriental tradition is still strongest1  
such as ,segovia1 ,toledo1 ,granada1 and
 ,seville1 that the use of the ,patio1  
as the ,romans and ,moors used their    
open air ,cortiles1 is chiefly affected4
 ,our sketch was taken in ,seville1 but 
hundreds of similar sketches might      
readily be taken there1 or elsewhere4   
,there is nevertheless a special charm  
about these ,seville houses1 in spite of
 their remorseless whitewash1 which     
makes life in them most pleasant4 ,this 
has no doubt justified the old proverb1 

quoted in ,german1 ,latin and ,italian  
by ,berckenmeyern#cb ,wen ,gott lieb    
hat1 dem giebt er ein ,haus in ,sevilia4
 7,to whom ,god loves he gives a house  
in ,seville74  ,illustration3 ,,plate   
#fa  ,,cadiz ,,cathedral  ,,mdw #ahfi   
,,plate ,,lxi4  ,,cadiz4  ,,internal    
,,view ,,of ,,the ,,cathedral4          
,,swinburne1#cc who visited ,cadiz in   
,january1 #agge1 and who certainly      
possesses the merit 7so far as ,i can   
find out7 of being the first ,englishman
 who made any drawings from the remains 
of ancient architecture in ,spain1 found
 the ,cathedral of that city1 la nueva1 
7intended to supersede the mean la      
vieja1 built in #aeig17 in course of    
construction1 and the following is his  
description of what he then saw4 ,on the
 shore stands the ,cathedral1 a work of 
great expense1 but carried on with so   
little vigour1 that it is difficult to  
guess at the term of years it will      
require to bring it to perfection2 ,i   
think fifty have already elapsed since  

the first stone was laid1 and the roof  
is not yet half finished4 ,the vaults   
are executed with great solidity4 ,the  
arches that spring from the clustered   
pilasters to support the roof of the    
church are very bold2 the minute        
sculpture bestowed upon them seems      
superfluous1 as all the effect will be  
lost from their great height1 and from  
the shade that will be thrown upon them 
by the filling up of the interstices4   
,from the sea1 the present top of the   
church resembles the carcase of some    
huge monster cast upon its side1 rearing
 its gigantic blanched ribs high above  
the buildings of the city4 ,the outward 
casings are to be of white marble1 the  
bars of the windows of bronze2 but ,i   
fear the work will be coarsely done1 if 
one may draw inference from the sample  
of a small chapel1 where the squares are
 so loosely jointed and ill fitted1 that
 in a few years the facing will be quite
 spoilt4 ,it is unfair to prejudge a    
piece of architecture in such an        

imperfect state1 but ,i apprehend the   
style of this will be crowded and heavy4
  ,in spite of all ,swinburne's         
forebodings the real effect of this     
,cathedral is now1 internally at least1 
vast and stately1 although in too florid
 a style as to detail to be quite       
satisfactory4 ,the true cause of much of
 the delay1 culminating in total        
stoppage in #agfi1 of which ,swinburne  
complains1 was the cupidity of certain  
,commissioners who appropriated to      
themselves the funds 7a tax on ,american
 imports7 allotted by the government for
 the work4 ,to give a cover to their    
gross dishonesty1 they laid blame on the
 designs of the architect1 ,vicente     
,acero1#cd which could not1 as they     
averred1 be completed4 ,at last1 in     
#ahcb1 the scandal was wiped out by the 
zeal and liberality of ,bishop ,domingo 
de ,silos ,moreus who caused the        
interior to be completed1 and the       
exterior partially so1 mainly out of his
 privy purse4  ,illustration3 ,,plate   

#fb  ,,malaga  ,,the ,,fountain ,,of    
,,the ,,alameda  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate
 ,,lxii4  ,,malaga4  ,,the ,,fountain   
,,of ,,the ,,alameda4   ,,in almost     
every ,spanish town there exists a      
feature1 too often wanting1 under       
similar circumstances1 in ,england1 in  
the shape of a public walk1 or paseo4   
,in these popular airing places in the  
summer-heats the inhabitants turn out1  
take exercise1 meet and chat with one   
another1 the poor with the rich 7by     
mutual consent7 under the shade of green
 trees1 usually within compass of the   
scent of flowers1 and almost invariably 
within hearing of the pleasant trickle  
of some pretty fountain4 ,such places1  
which1 as their name imports1 the       
,spaniards have inherited1 with almost  
all that makes life pleasant1 from the  
,moors1 are called ,alamedas4 ,in this  
particular ,malaga is especially        
favoured1 for not only is her ,alameda1 
which forms the principle ,plaza of the 
city1 cooled by refreshing breezes from 

the sea1      ,la que baa dulce el mar  
,entre ,jazmn y ,azahar1  but it is     
adorned by one of the prettiest         
fountains in the world4 ,it is made of  
pure white marble1 and of such exquisite
 workmanship that it would betray its   
,italian origin at a glance1 even if it 
did not possess a history of its own    
which places the fact beyond a doubt4   
,ordered originally at ,genoa by        
,charles ,v4 for his ,palace at         
,granada1 it was shipped1 on its        
completion for conveyance thither1 on   
board a ,spanish galleon4#ce ,on the    
voyage the vessel was captured by       
,barbarossa1 and recovered by ,don      
,bernardino de ,mendoza1 ,general de    
,galeras4 ,ford remarks that the costume
 7 la fig leaf7 of the nymphs and       
,amorini which adorn it is somewhat too 
slight for ,spanish ideas of propriety1 
and ,o',shea caps his observation by    
commenting on its perfect suitability to
 the ,malagan climate4  ,illustration3  
,,plate #fc  ,,malaga  ,,renaissance    

,,house ,,in ,,the ,,calle ,,sant'      
,,augustin  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate     
,,lxiii4  ,,malaga4  ,,renaissance      
,,house ,,in ,,the ,,calle ,,sant'      
,,augustin4   ,,not only is ,malaga     
endowed with an eternal summer by its   
lovely climate1 there being actually no 
winter of its discontent1 but it has    
also enjoyed historically a splendid and
 long summer of prosperity1 its present 
state being comparatively autumnal4     
,this golden age existed under the      
,moors for many centuries preceding the 
dreadful siege laid to the city by the  
,catholic kings1 which ended on the     
#ahth of ,august1 #adhg4 ,it has never  
altogether recovered from the           
christianising influences then brought  
to bear upon it1 though the charms of   
its position and climate prevented its  
being altogether deserted at any time4  
,they indeed produced an after-crop of  
splendour1 in the shape of fine         
residences of powerful nobility1        
enriched many of them by the spoils of  

the ,moors1 and yet more by the silver  
of ,america and the great profits of the
 foreign trade1 to say nothing of the   
smuggling carried on in its port4 ,of   
such our sketch presents a specimen1    
more ,italian in its character than     
would be likely to be met with in       
,spain1 in any other locality than a    
,port de ,mer4 ,the great establishment 
of the ,genoese merchants1 the ,casa de 
los ,genoveses1 may have exercised a    
powerful local influence upon the arts  
and especially the architecture of      
,malaga1 as that of our ,merchants of   
the ,steleyard did upon those of        
,london4  ,in the distance is seen one  
of the cupola-covered towers of the vast
 ,cathedral--most promising and         
picturesque from a distance1 but        
unsatisfactory in its incompleteness1   
when visited by the ,ecclesiologist4    
,illustration3 ,,plate #fd  ,,malaga    
,,ospedale ,,de ,,santo ,,tom  ,,mdw    
#ahfi     ,,plate ,,lxiv4  ,,malaga4    
,,old ,,window ,,of ,,the ,,ospedale    

,,de ,,santo ,,tom4   ,,this pretty     
window of1 as ,i believe1 the early part
 of the sixteenth century is evidently  
of ,mudejar design with little of the   
,moorish element left in it1 excepting  
the obvious ,orientalism of the workman4
 ,take away the engrailed intrados of   
the arch1 and the little dove-tailed    
break in the line of the archivolt1 and 
all that is ,moorish in the design would
 disappear2 but still the particular    
mode of combining the brick and tile    
work would be left to show the          
disinclination of the ,moor to quit or  
alter his old technical habits as an    
operative4  ,this window is associated  
in my memory with some sad scenes of    
suffering4 ,it is situated1 as it were1 
on the road to a sort of wicket or      
buttery-hatch1 at which aid is given    
daily to cripples out of the funds of   
the great ,hospital of ,santo ,tom4 ,at 
an early hour these poor creatures1 the 
halt1 maimed1 diseased1 and blind1 take 
up their stations against the wall1 and 

gradually creep onwards towards the spot
 at which the distribution takes place4 
,the ,ay de mis and ,por l'amor de      
,dios1 echo in a dismal strain1         
interrupted only by a few especially    
ferocious oaths as one a little stronger
 or more active than the rest struggles 
forwards to cheat the others of their   
turn4 ,the whole scene would have made  
an admirable subject for ,callot's      
needle1 ,hurtado de ,mendoza's pen1 or  
,van ,obstal's chisel4 ,lazarillo de    
,tormes and his blind ,amo sat before   
me2 and one could clearly recognise what
 it must have cost noblemen1 like ,d4   
,miguel de ,manana,a and his cofrades of
 the vast ,hospital of the ,caridad at  
,seville 7the great rival no doubt to   
the ,malagan ,hospital71 to carry on    
their works of mercy in the midst of a  
dirt and squalor which should be seen to
 be realised4  ,illustration3 ,,plate   
#fe  ,,malaga ,,door ,,of ,,sant' ,,jago
  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate ,,lxv4        
,,malaga4  ,,knocker ,,of ,,the         

,,monastery ,,of ,,sant' ,,jago4        
,,travellers in ,spain rarely fail to   
observe and comment on the great        
strength of ordinary entrance doors1 the
 thick planks forming which are         
frequently held together by iron bars1  
or plating1 with ponderous bolts1 or    
nail-heads1 often of very pretty design4
 ,such doors have descended apparently  
from ,roman days1 and the retention of  
the type1 by ,moor and ,christian down  
to the present day1 has been regarded as
 an evidence of the proverbially jealous
 temperament of the ,spaniard4 ,i think 
it bears a much clearer testimony to the
 want of good police in the streets1 and
 the frequency of quarrels and rows1 to 
say nothing of marauders and more       
serious fighters in disastrous times4   
,one is strengthened in this belief by  
the inclination ever shown by the old   
,spaniards to have as few external      
windows as possible on the ground floors
 of their houses1 and those few raised  
high above the pathway1 and protected by

 close and strong iron grilles and thick
 shutters4 ,these may have been useful  
restraints on the love-making           
propensities of the ,spanish ,lotharios2
 but the difficulties they presented to 
pilferers and ,soldados de ,fortuna1    
when a little out of luck1 were1        
perhaps1 of even greater importance to  
the householder4  ,the portion of the   
door ,i have sketched1 formed part of a 
solid defence against a formidable class
 in ,spain1 bold in attack1 and not     
easily cast down even in retreat--the   
beggars4 ,much of the enormous sums     
given by the devout to ,god in ,catholic
 times1 this class believed they had as 
good right to scramble for as the monks2
 and it behoved the latter to fortify   
themselves1 as they never failed to do1 
pretty strongly against the importunity 
of the former4 ,no doubt the coronetted 
knocker of the ,monastery of ,sant'     
,jago was intended to inspire the       
beggars with fitting awe1 and an        
intimation that it was not to be        

audaciously handled by vulgarity4 ,some 
such scarecrow was certainly locally    
necessary1 for ,i well remember being   
driven away by clustering beggars no    
less than four times before ,i could    
accomplish my very hasty sixty-fifth    
sketch4  ,illustration3 ,,plate #ff     
,,granada ,,the ,,alhambra ,,from ,,the 
,,albaycin  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate     
,,lxvi4  ,,granada4  ,,remains ,,of     
,,the ,,alhambra ,,as ,,seen ,,from     
,,the ,,albaycin4   ,,no one looking    
from the quarter of the city to which1  
after its conquest by the ,christians in
 #adhj1 the ,moors who lingered behind  
the bulk of their fellows1 were         
relegated1 7as the ,jews by the ,popes  
to the ,ghetto at ,rome17 would be      
justified in supposing that the         
stern-looking and dilapidated           
fortresses1 and lines of walling of vast
 height and apparent strength1 which    
meet the eye1 contained nearly complete 
specimens of the loveliest and most     
elaborate system of ornamentation1 both 

in form and colour1 which has ever      
existed4 ,the position of the ,alhambra 
is worthy in every respect of the       
treasures of art it contains4 ,it       
overlooks the ,vega1 an extended plain1 
which in the days of the city's         
prosperity was literally one vast       
garden1 and even in the present day is1 
to most of central ,spain1 pretty nearly
 what an oasis may be supposed to be to 
a desert4  ,on the extreme left in this 
sketch is seen the great mass of the    
,torre de ,comares1 which contains the  
celebrated ,hall of the ,ambassadors2   
next to it on the right are the ancient 
buildings of the ,patio de la ,mezquita 
or ,mosque4 ,behind these1 and further  
to the right1 rises the great           
rectangular mass of the ,palace of      
,charles ,v4 ,the flat space1 in front  
and on the right of the ,palace1 is     
known as the ,plaza de los ,algibes 7of 
the tanks7 and the mass of towers and   
buildings beyond are those of the       
,alcazaba1 7the fortress7 with1         

conspicuous on the extreme right1 the   
,torre de la ,vela1 7the ,watch-,tower17
 from which a constant look-out was kept
 far and wide over the city to the west1
 and the far spreading ,vega to the west
 and south4 ,on the horizon stretched   
the great range of snow-clad mountains1 
the ,sierra ,nevada4  ,the beauty of the
 view from this tower cannot be         
exceeded1 and ,i never shall forget the 
aspect of the scene upon one especially 
lovely moonlight night4 ,by such soft   
illumination1 the desolation of which   
one saw so much by day was passed over  
in the breadth of the great masses of   
light and shade4 ,as the moonlight      
caught the snow-clad peaks of the       
,sierra ,nevada and traced itself in the
 silver lines of the winding ,river     
,genil1 coming from the far off distance
 to the city beneath1 and losing itself 
in the thousands of twinkling lights of 
the suburbs in which its silver threads 
seemed to get entangled and lost1       
everything was perfect2 and as one      

turned away towards the nearer mountain 
heights1 and saw1 upon their hilly      
eastern slopes1 the ,generalife and the 
,alhambra1 almost close at hand1 one    
felt inclined to forget the present in  
the past and to think of ruin as        
perfection1 and of death as life4  ,by  
day the illusion was destroyed1 the     
young ,alhambra of the night faded away1
 and in its place one saw all the seams 
and stains and wrinkles age had left    
upon its hoary head and face1 all the   
more painfully perhaps from the efforts 
one recognise as having been made here  
and there1 by loving and anxious hands1 
to mend and palliate conspicuous decay4 
,illustration3 ,,plate #fg  ,,granada   
,,entrance ,,to ,,the ,,bosqu ,,del     
,,alhambra  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate     
,,lxvii4  ,,granada4  ,,entrance ,,to   
,,the ,,bosqu ,,del ,,alhambra4   ,,our 
sixty-seventh sketch illustrates the    
road by which the traveller usually     
ascends from the ,city of ,granada to   
the delights of the ,alhambra4 ,on      

passing through the massive gateway1    
seen in the middle of the sketch1 he    
finds himself in a thickly-planted wood 
or bosqu1 cool1 shady1 refreshing1 and  
beautiful4 ,at several turns in the     
winding road1 fountains1 abundantly     
supplied with crystal water1 charm his  
eye and ear at the same moment4 ,with   
his pulse just quickened by the gradual 
ascent1 everything seems to conduce to  
ease of body1 and to throw him into a   
happy frame of mind for enjoying the    
feast of beauty which lies in store for 
him4 ,as a preparation for such a       
banquet1 ,i know nothing better         
calculated to insure a healthy digestion
 of the artistic pabulum the ,alhambra  
furnishes1 than a thorough acquaintance 
with the views of ,owen ,jones upon the 
subject of ,moorish art generally4  ,if 
in his noble work on the ,alhambra he   
has described the system no work so     
fitted to illustrate a grammar of       
ornament as that in which every ornament
 contains a grammar in itself4 ,every   

principle which we can derive from the  
study of the ornamental art of any other
 people is not only ever present here1  
but was by the ,moors universally and   
truly obeyed4  ,we find in the ,alhambra
 the speaking art of the ,egyptians1 the
 natural grace and refinement of the    
,greeks1 the geometrical combinations of
 the ,romans1 the ,byzantines1 and the  
,arabs4 ,the ornament wanted but one    
charm1 which was the peculiar feature of
 the ,egyptian ornament1 symbolism4     
,this the religion of the ,moors        
forbade2 but the want was more than     
supplied by the inscriptions1 which1    
addressing themselves to the eye by     
their outward beauty1 at once excited   
the intellect by the difficulties of    
deciphering their curious and complex   
involutions1 and delighted the          
imagination when read1 by the beauty of 
the sentiments they expressed and the   
music of their composition4 ,to the     
artist and those provided with minds to 
estimate the value of the beauty to     

which they gave a life1 they repeated   
,look and ,learn4  ,it is not1 of       
course1 from the study of the monuments 
of one period1 or of one locality1 that 
any accurate idea is to be formed of the
 ,architecture of any races1 whose      
national history and whose dominion have
 extended for many centuries over many  
lands4 ,nor1 indeed1 is a just          
appreciation of the artistic value of   
the system of ,art1 sectionally studied1
 to be arrived at until the student has 
compared it with its antecedents in its 
own and other localities4 ,such works1  
therefore1 as offer to the inquirer     
means for instituting studies of the    
nature alluded to1 acquire peculiar     
value1 although necessarily incomplete  
for sectional study4 ,the student of    
,oriental ,architecture1 from this point
 of view1 has been laid under a debt of 
gratitude by ,m4 ,girault de            
,prangey1#cf whose works enable him to  
obtain a fair idea of the varieties of  
style practised by the ,mahommedan races

 in ,asia ,minor1 ,syria1 ,egypt1       
,spain1 ,sicily and ,barbary4 ,through  
all these there evidently runs a harmony
 of system1 but not the less clearly    
have we to recognize an endless variety 
of detail1 and an incessantly changeful 
development--reaching its climax        
certainly in the ,alhambra at ,granada4 
,illustration3 ,,plate #fh  ,,granada4  
,,puerta ,,de ,,justicia4  ,,mdw #ahfi  
,,plate ,,lxviii4  ,,granada4  ,,puerta 
,,de ,,justicia4   ,,wending his way    
upwards through the beautiful ,bosqu1 it
 is on arriving at the celebrated ,gate 
of ,justice#cg that the traveller first 
finds himself face to face with the     
,moor1 and his wise and patriarchal     
habits1 as well as his inherent love for
 the beautiful4 ,within these venerable 
walls once sat the ,monarch1 as ,solomon
 sat1 to administer justice to the      
poorest1 as to the richest1 of his      
subjects4 ,on the side shown to the     
outer world the archway wears the stern 
features of the fortress2 while on the  

inner side1 the one shown in my sketch1 
there are traces of a beauty and        
richness suitable to the ,palace to     
which it led4 ,what is most remarkable  
architecturally about this ,gateway is1 
firstly1 the ingenuity of its plan for  
resisting surprise in attack2 and1      
secondly1 the beauty of the coloured    
tiles by which its inside elevation is  
decorated4  ,first1 with respect to its 
plan4 ,this1 so far as the passage way  
from gate to gate 7carried between walls
 of great thickness and massive         
construction7 is concerned1 assumes the 
form of two letters ,l placed in contact
 with one another1 thus1           ,b   
,a          1  the gate of entry from   
without being at ,a1 and the gate of    
exit at ,b4 ,the consequence is that no 
assailant entering from ,a can form any 
idea of what preparations for resistance
 may exist in the interior of the       
gateway4 ,neither can he gain anything  
by a rush1 as the impetus of any attack 
would be broken by the necessities of   

having to stop1 turn round and start in 
another direction for too short a       
distance1 before having to check and    
turn again1 to acquire any momentum or  
lan4 ,even after fighting his way from  
gate to gate1 the assailant would only  
find himself in a narrow gallery between
 high walls and upper platforms through 
which it would be most difficult to     
advance1 exposed to missiles from every 
direction4 ,while attacking the outer   
gate and intermediate obstacles1 the    
besieger would1 of course1 be liable to 
the amenities of molten lead1 c41 from  
the upper chambers of the ,gateway4     
,secondly1 with respect to the beauty of
 the coloured tiles4 ,these are unlike1 
both in colour and texture1 as well as  
,i could see1 any other tiles existing  
in the ,alhambra1 or any left at        
,cordova1 ,seville or ,toledo4 ,my      
impression is1 that they may have been a
 present from ,damascus1 ,cairo1 or from
 ,persia proper4 ,the peculiar deep     
granulated blue which is conspicuous in 

them1 ,i have only seen in fragments    
from ancient ,mosques1 which have been  
brought from the ,east4 ,the mode of    
manufacture is not that either of the   
usual ,moorish and ,spanish ,azulejos1  
with raised outlines forming            
compartments for the separate colours2  
nor is it like that of the ,majorca     
tiles and dishes1 and the usual flat    
tiles of the ,alhambra1 which1 with     
their fine white surfaces for painting  
on1 formed the basis of ,majolica4 ,it  
is1 however1 quite like that of the     
half-encaustic1 half-painted tiles of   
the early ,mahommedan buildings in      
,india1 ,persia1 and especially ,arabia 
proper4  ,a long inscription occurs in  
two lines over the inner gateway1       
towards the exterior4 ,the following is 
from the translation of the             
distinguished ,arabic student and       
historian1 ,don ,pasqual de ,gayangos4  
,this gate1 called ,bbu-sh-shari'ah 7the
 ,gate of the ,law7--may ,god prosper   
through it the law of ,islm1 and ,he    

made this a lasting monument of ,his    
glory--was built at the command of our  
,lord1 the ,commander of the ,moslems1  
the warlike and just ,sultan ,ab-l-walid
 ,ibu ,naor1 7may ,god remunerate his   
good deeds in the observance of         
religion1 and accept of his valorous    
performances in support of the faith74  
,and it was closed for the first time in
 the glorious month of the birth of our 
,prophet1 in the year #gdi4 ,may the    
,almighty make this gate a protecting   
bulwark1 and write down its erection    
among the imperishable actions of the   
,just4  ,illustration3 ,,plate #fi      
,,grenada4 ,,the ,,alhambra ,,sala ,,de 
,,embajadores  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate  
,,lxix4  ,,granada4--,,the ,,alhambra4  
,,sala ,,de ,,embajadores4   ,,to       
describe the progress of the visitor    
through the ,courts and apartments of   
the ,casa ,real1 as the ,palace of the  
,alhambra is called1 would be to echo a 
more than thrice-told tale4 ,for present
 purposes1 it may suffice to say1 that  

in the ,hall of the ,ambassadors he     
reaches the acm of ,moorish             
magnificence4 ,my sketch represents one 
of the nine windows by which the hall is
 lighted on the level of the floor4 ,the
 space from the single arch1 which is on
 the internal face of the apartment1 to 
the coupled arches which are on the     
external face of the building1          
represents the thickness1 no less than  
about eight feet1 of the wall of the    
,tower of ,comares4 ,the window ,i have 
chosen for sketching1 looks towards a   
,renaissance addition to the ,alhambra1 
made by ,charles ,v4 for the            
accommodation of his ,queen4  ,this     
elegant pavilion1 from which is obtained
 a view of almost unparallelled         
loveliness over the ,vega1 is known as  
the ,tocador de la ,reina1 or1 ,boudoir 
of the ,queen4  ,the ,hall of           
,ambassadors occupies the whole of the  
internal area on plan of the ,tower1 and
 is an apartment thirty-seven feet      
square and seventy-five feet high4 ,it  

is entered from the ,court of the       
,blessing1 7as ,mr4 ,o',shea considers  
the ,patio de la ,berkh to be more      
properly called1 than the ,court of the 
,fish ,pond17 or de la ,alberca1 the    
title by which it is usually known4     
,advancing from the ,patio1 the visitor 
traverses the ,sala4 ,in the wall       
opposite to the door of entrance to the 
,hall are three windows4 ,in the central
 one appears to have been placed the    
throne of the ,sultan4 ,in each of the  
walls1 on the right and left of the     
entrance1 are three nearly-similar      
windows3 the one ,i have selected for   
representation being the middle one of  
the three in the wall on the right upon 
entering4  ,the dado which runs round   
the whole of the splendid ,hall1 is made
 of ,mosaic and ,azulejos for a height  
of about four feet from the pavement2   
and above it run bands with inscriptions
 and medallions4 ,over these1 the walls1
 covered with lace-like diapers in      
stucco1 to a height of about seven and  

twenty feet from the floor1 run up to a 
second tier of windows1 five on a side1 
lighting the upper portion of the ,hall4
  ,at a height of about forty feet1     
occurs a beautiful stalactite cornice   
from which starts a noble dome1 or      
,artesonado ceiling1 most ingeniously   
made in inlaid wood1 and gorgeously     
decorated4 ,this ceiling1 splendid as it
 is1 occupies the place only of one yet 
more marvellous1 which fell down4 ,the  
original ceiling1 or rather hollow cone1
 was of the same description as the     
existing stalactite1 or pendentive1     
ceilings of the ,hall of the            
,abencerrages1 of ,justice1 and of the  
two ,sisters2 but larger and finer4 ,mr4
 ,owen ,jones has given us1 in ,plate   
,,vii of his magnificent work1 a long   
section1 to a large scale1 passing from 
the window in which the throne of the   
,sultan was placed1 through the ,hall of
 the ,ambassadors with its arch of      
entrance1 through the ,sala de la       
,barca1 the splendid anteroom1 as it    

were1 to the ,throne room1 through the  
,loggia1 or ,arcade1 of the ,patio of   
the ,alberca1 through the ,patio itself1
 and through the end ,loggia of the     
,court with its exquisite ,pavilion on  
the first floor4 ,from this section can 
be admirably realised1 what must have   
been the view1 or colpo d'occhio1 of the
 ,sultan1 as he sat upon his throne to  
receive foreign ,ambassadors4#ch ,it    
seems impossible to conceive of any     
position more imposing1 or better       
calculated to impress the imagination   
particularly of ,eastern magnates4 ,even
 now1 bereft of so much that must once  
have added to its charm1 the view is one
 of exquisite and most romantic beauty4 
,it is1 indeed1 a sight to stir a poet's
 heart1 although      ,lonely and still 
are now thy marble halls1        ,thou  
fair ,alhambra6 there the feast is o'er2
      ,and with the murmur of thy       
fountain falls1#ci        ,blend the    
wild tones of minstrelsy no more4       
,hushed are the voices1 that in years   

gone by1        ,have mourn'd1 exulted1 
menaced1 through thy towers1            
,within thy pillar'd courts the grass   
waves high1        ,and all uncultured  
bloom thy fairy bowers4      ,unheeded  
there the flowering myrtle blows1       
,through tall arcades unmark'd the      
sunbeam smiles1      ,and many a tint of
 soften'd brilliance throws        ,o'er
 fretted walls and shining              
peristyles4#dj  ,illustration3 ,,plate  
#gj  ,,granada4  ,,the ,,alhambra ,,from
 ,,the ,,hall ,,of ,,the ,,ambassadors4 
,,in ,,stucco ,,full ,,size4  ,,mdw     
#ahfi     ,,plate ,,lxx4                
,,granada4--,,the ,,alhambra4  ,,stucco 
,,detail ,,from ,,the ,,hall ,,of ,,the 
,,ambassadors4   ,,in describing the    
subject of the last sketch1 our theme   
was the general aspect of the ,sala de  
los ,embajadores4 ,i have chosen to let 
this minute specimen of its detail      
follow the statement of its large       
dimensions1 in order the more forcibly  
to convey an idea of its wonderful      

elaboration4 ,the elegant morsel of     
stucco-work now presented to the student
 has been actually traced from a portion
 of the stucco-work of one of the window
 recesses immediately above the dado4   
,it affords an admirable illustration of
 two principles constantly followed by  
the ,moors in their treatment of        
decoration--viz41 to preserve the       
continuity of all scroll work from root 
to fully developed foliation--a         
principle entirely disregarded in all   
previous ornamentation based upon       
classical practice--and to care first   
for larger surfaces to satisfy the eye  
with harmonious relations of those      
surfaces to one another1 and to the     
spaces they have to enrich1 from a      
distance2 and then to provide minor     
fillings and intersections so as to     
supply adequate elaboration for close   
inspection4 ,in addition to the         
decorative effect produced by variations
 in relief1 still greater refinement was
 obtained by patterns in colour1 painted

 upon the surfaces of the modelled      
ornaments4 ,although almost everywhere  
the colour has either been rubbed off1  
or rubbed into confusion1 the abrasion  
has affected for the most part only the 
pigment and its albuminous vehicle1     
leaving the surface of the stucco bare1 
and showing the outline of the delicate 
ornament which has been drawn in by the 
pencil of the artist4  ,it is on the    
nature of the stucco itself ,i think it 
may be well to offer here a few remarks4
 ,it certainly appears to be harder1    
closer in texture1 tougher1 and much    
less absorbent1 than gypsum or plaster  
of ,paris1 when set in the usual manner4
 ,lime alone1 as ordinarily slacked1    
would not ,i believe give any such      
texture1 even if it could be manipulated
 into similar ornamental forms4 ,i      
believe the ,moorish ,stucco to be      
almost if not quite identical with the  
,indian ,chunam1 and that in its turn to
 be a substance produced much in the    
same way that the fine ,stucco of the   

,romans was ordinarily wrought by that  
people4 ,in the native treatment of all 
of these substances1 ,i believe four    
peculiarities to have been generally    
used4 ,firstly--to employ the finest    
lime only4 ,secondly--to mix it with    
pounded earthen-ware4 ,thirdly--to beat 
it thoroughly4 ,fourthly--to use        
saccharine substances to retard the     
setting and keep the mass plastic under 
the tool4  ,the present is scarcely a   
fitting occasion upon which to state in 
any detail the grounds upon which ,i    
have been led to this conclusion1 but ,i
 have little doubt that any student will
 be struck by the identity of practice  
of ,roman1 ,indian1 and ,moor1 who will 
refer to the practical descriptions of  
the various modes of the formation of   
terraces given by ,vitruvius1 by        
,captain ,phipps1 in ,the               
,barrackmaster's ,assistant1#da and by  
,john ,windus1 in his ,journey to       
,mequinez4#db  ,i have elsewhere noticed
 the command the descendants of the     

,moors seemed to retain over all        
operations of plaster and lime work     
throughout ,spain1 as evidenced by the  
beauty and elaboration of the ,mudejar  
style in those materials1 long after    
they ceased to be the dominant race in  
the localities in which they continued  
to practice their old technical arts4   
,illustration3 ,,plate #ga  ,,granada4  
,,the ,,alhambra4 ,,from ,,the ,,hall   
,,of ,,the ,,ambassadors4  ,,black ,,on 
,,white4  ,,full ,,size ,,glass ,,inlay4
  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate ,,lxxi4       
,,granada4--,,the ,,alhambra4  ,,detail 
,,of ,,glass ,,inlay ,,from ,,the ,,hall
 ,,of ,,the ,,ambassadors4   ,,this     
little pattern which forms the centre1  
or eye--the point of departure in       
fact--of an elaborate geometrical mosaic
 has been most carefully traced and     
copied from the original1 which yet     
remains in the centre of the dado on the
 side of the window on the right of the 
,sultan's throne in the ,hall of the    
,ambassadors4 ,it may thus be said to   

occupy an especial post of honour and so
 to challenge1 as it were1 curiosity and
 admiration4 ,both these a close        
inspection thoroughly justifies1 since  
in all the history of the manufacture of
 vitrified substances ,i know nothing   
more curious and puzzling4 ,the pattern 
is in bluish-black on a white ground2   
and both ground and inlay are made      
apparently in two separate pieces of    
glass1 and in two only4 ,the most minute
 inspection shows no joint whatever on  
the surface of either coloured material2
 at the same time it establishes the    
fact that the ground has been made with 
the whole pattern sunk en creux1 and    
that the inlay has been made in one     
piece--practically a specimen of glass  
lace--and fixed into the cavity of the  
ground with a very fine calcareous      
cement1 made probably of lime and white 
of egg4 ,to inlay glass in glass        
involves little difficulty1 if ground   
and inlay are as it were fused together2
 but to produce a ground apparently in  

glass1 and to inlay it with so fine a   
pattern1 both au froid1 is a perfect    
marvel in vitreous manufacture4  ,the   
only way in which ,i can imagine that   
such an effect could be produced is as  
follows1 but in offering any such       
explanation ,i desire to do so with all 
due deference to practical              
glass-workers4 ,i believe that two      
metal-moulds were made1 one with the    
ornament in relief1 and the other with  
the same ornament sunk in intaglio4     
,from each mould1 glass reproductions   
having been made of about equal         
substances 7so as to contract equally in
 cooling71 and1 with the exception of a 
black film in one case1 of the same     
glass1 the two reproductions were stuck 
together firmly by the calcareous       
cement4 ,the black glass in cameo would 
then be encased within the white glass  
in intaglio2 and the pattern would of   
course be invisible1 the two            
reproductions being firmly stuck        
together face to face1 making apparently

 one white glass tessera of double the  
requisite thickness4 ,the back of the   
cameo side would then have to be ground 
away1 probably at a lapidary's wheel1   
until the back of the black pattern in  
cameo should be reached4 ,at the same   
moment the face of the white intaglio   
would be exposed2 and the tessera1 being
 reduced to its proper thickness for    
insertion with the rest of the adjoining
 glass mosaic1 would be fit to          
permanently combine with it2 showing an 
elaborate black pattern held in by      
calcareous cement1 on a white face1     
exactly as it now appears4  ,any such   
resolution of a difficult technical     
problem exhibits the ,moors to us as    
excelling in two of their favourite     
,arts1 viz41 inlaying and glass         
manufacture4  ,for much of their        
knowledge of both of these arts there is
 no doubt that the ,moors were indebted 
to the ,arabians4 ,the ,arabians were in
 their turn inheritors from the         
,byzantine ,greeks of many of the       

traditions of manufacturing excellence  
once practised by the ,romans4 ,amongst 
these were1 no doubt1 almost every      
process of glass-working and mosaic4#dc 
,considerable doubts exist as to the    
inheritance by the ,greek of the lower  
empire of the process of inlaying from  
the ,romans1 and to their originality in
 adapting the process to their          
architecture4 ,the first building in    
which it appears to have been freely    
used by the ,greeks was the ,mosque of  
,santa ,sofia1 built by ,justinian4 ,for
 that building he is known to have      
invoked the assistance of ,persian      
designers and artificers2 and from the  
divergence in the patterns of those     
inlays from any patterns usual in ,roman
 contemporary work1 ,i am inclined to   
believe that they represent the foreign 
element to which ,i have alluded4 ,a    
most interesting comparison may be made1
 by the student1 of the patterns from   
the ,aya ,sofia given in ,salzenburg's  
great work1 with those of the principal 

of the ,cairene ,mosques drawn by ,mr4  
,james ,wild and given in the ,grammar  
of ,ornament4  ,illustration3 ,,plate   
#gb  ,,granada  ,,the ,,alhambra  ,,hall
 ,,of ,,the ,,ambassadors  ,,mosaic     
,,full ,,size  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate  
,,lxxii4  ,,granada4--,,the ,,alhambra4 
,,mosaic ,,from ,,the ,,hall ,,of ,,the 
,,ambassadors4   ,,in the description of
 the last sketch ,i alluded to the      
sources whence the ,moors derived much  
of their knowledge of glass-making and  
mosaic-working4 ,in the specimen now    
given1 the full size of the original1 on
 the opposite page1 a considerable      
advance is shown upon what was usual in 
the contemporary1 ,opus ,grecanicum1 as 
executed1 either in ,italy or in ,greece
 itself4 ,the advance is principally to 
be seen in this particular1 that whereas
 in the last mentioned work1 every      
complicated pattern is made up out of   
tesser1 or glass strips cut into        
squares1 oblongs1 triangles1 or other   
simple figures2 in the ,moorish work1   

arbitrary shapes of considerable        
geometrical complexity are given to each
 separate piece of mosaic4 ,when these  
tesser1 so shaped1 are brought together1
 their combination immediately results  
in the formation of perfect patterns1   
such as the one now illustrated4 ,tesser
 of this description were no doubt      
formed by squeezing plastic clay into   
metal moulds1 and almost perfect        
identity was obtained between the tesser
 obtained from the same mould4 ,these1  
after firing1 were then apparently      
covered with coloured vitreous glazes by
 a subsequent operation4  ,in           
illustration of the advantages possessed
 by the ,moors over the ,greeks1 in     
working such mosaics as the one ,i have 
sketched1 it may be noted1 that while a 
,greek would have required one hundred  
and nineteen separate pieces to make up 
what is shown1 the ,moor wanted only    
forty-nine4 ,moreover1 instead of having
 to chip every one of the one hundred   
and nineteen pieces to a definite size  

and shape1 and then to place them slowly
 so as to ensure the truth of his angles
 of forty-five and twenty-two and a half
 degrees1 as the ,greek or ,italian had1
 the ,moor had only to place one of his 
forty-nine pieces with precision2 and1  
provided he never took any of the eleven
 patterns1 of which his repeats are     
composed1 out of their right turn1 his  
mosaic would work itself with scarcely  
any other attention on his part4        
,another source of anxiety was saved to 
him2 viz41 constant heedfulness as to   
the working of the interlacement of his 
lines--i4 e41 their running1 as it were1
 under and over one another4 ,the       
result1 in this particular1 is far      
clearer and more effective in the       
,moorish1 than according to the         
,greco-,italian method2 since1 while in 
the former there are no joints which do 
not help to define an interlacement1    
according to the latter1 the joints     
occurring on the line of mitre of every 
angle become confused with the joints   

which express interlacement4 ,a         
comparison of the ,sicilian1 with the   
,alhambrese1 geometrical mosaics1 would 
show in a moment the superiority of the 
last mentioned method4  ,no people1     
except perhaps the ,chinese1 have ever  
equalled the ,moors in devising patterns
 of most complicated appearance1 in     
which colours were1 as it were1         
counterchanged by combining tiles1 or   
tesser1 of similar geometrical forms1   
but made in different tints or tones4   
,beautiful examples are given in        
profusion in the works of ,mr4 ,owen    
,jones1 ,m4 ,girault de ,prangey1 ,herr 
,hessemer1 ,m4 ,coste and many others4  
,illustration3 ,,plate #gc  ,,the       
,,alhambra  ,,la ,,sala ,,de ,,las ,,dos
 ,,hermanas  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate    
,,lxxiii4  ,,granada4--,,the ,,alhambra4
  ,,niche ,,in ,,la ,,sala ,,de ,,las   
,,dos ,,hermanas4   ,,that the ,moors   
themselves were fully conscious that in 
creating the ,alhambra they were        
creating types of beauty for all        

generations1 would be clearly manifest  
from the inscriptions of the ,hall of   
the two ,sisters1 7from which our       
illustration is taken71 even if every   
other of the hundreds of inscriptions   
the building contains in other          
apartments were destroyed4  ,i am the   
garden1 and every morning do ,i appear  
decked out in beauty4 ,look attentively 
at my elegance1 and thou wilt reap the  
benefit of a commentary on decoration4  
,indeed1 we never saw a palace more     
lofty than this in its exterior1 or more
 brilliantly decorated in its interior2 
or having more extensive                
apartments--markets they are1 where     
those provided with money are paid in   
beauty1 and where the judge of elegance 
is perpetually sitting to pronounce     
sentence4  ,here is the wonderful       
cupola1 at sight of whose beautiful     
proportions1 all other cupolas vanish   
and disappear4  ,such inscriptions are  
not all of them of this hyperbolic      
stamp1 since some of them serve to      

record the names of illustrious         
founders1 and to explain the uses of    
various parts of the structure4 ,to an  
inscription of this kind we are indebted
 for an accurate knowledge of the uses  
of such niches as the one represented in
 my sketch4 ,many travellers and writers
 had supposed that their purpose had    
been to hold the slippers of the        
visitors1 but this theory was entirely  
dispelled1 when ,m4 ,pasqual de         
,gayangos read the inscription of the   
left niche of the ,hall de las dos      
,hermanas4  ,praise to ,god6 ,with my   
ornaments and tiara#dd ,i surpass beauty
 itself1 nay the luminaries in the      
,zodiac out of envy descend to me4  ,the
 water vase within me1 they say1 is like
 a devout man standing towards the      
,kiblah of the ,mihrab1#de ready to     
begin his prayers4  ,the idea that these
 niches were used to hold water-bottles 
is further strengthened1 as ,mr4 ,owen  
,jones has justly remarked1 by the      
existence of the mosaic linings amid the

 plaster work by which they were        
surrounded2 as well as by the white     
marble slabs which serve for their base 
or floor4 ,the wall and pier dados1     
which extend from these marble slabs to 
the beautiful ,azulejos floor1 are all  
made in elegant mosaic4 ,above the niche
 in the sketch appears the ingenious    
pendentive impost from which spring the 
great arches carried by the piers1 with 
the characteristic ingrailed fringe work
 which was almost always retained even1 
as we see at ,seville1 in the latest    
,renaissance ,mudejar work4             
,illustration3 ,,plate #gd  ,,mdw #ahfi 
,,granada  ,,the ,,alhambra ,,sala ,,del
 ,,tribunal  ,,border ,,full ,,size     
,,plate ,,lxxiv4  ,,granada4--,,the     
,,alhambra4  ,,stucco ,,detail ,,from   
,,the ,,sala ,,del ,,tribunal4   ,,the  
correctness of this sketch1 as to       
dimension at least1 has been ensured by 
the mode in which it was obtained1 viz41
 by gently pressing a piece of paper    
against the surface of the piece of     

ornament 7so as to obtain a slight      
impression of its outline17 then marking
 it faintly with pencil1 pressing it out
 again quite flat1 and finishing it in  
ink on the spot4 ,it may be looked upon1
 therefore1 as giving1 as nearly as is  
possible on a plane surface1 an accurate
 transcript of the elegant ornament from
 the ,sala del ,tribunal selected for   
illustration4 ,my reason for this       
selection was1 chiefly because ,i       
desired to show the minute scale and    
extreme delicacy of much of the         
decoration in relief with which the     
walls of the principal apartments of the
 ,alhambra are covered4 ,it was partly  
also because this particular specimen   
retained faint tracing lines drawn1 most
 likely with a silver or lead point1 and
 a free hand1 upon the flat surfaces of 
certain parts of the ornament in relief4
 ,these served as guide lines for the   
yet more delicate labour of the painter1
 who carried the subdivision of parts1  
by means of the application of          

contrasting colours and gilding1 into   
yet more microscopic superficial        
enrichment4  ,as this is the last       
illustration ,i have to offer of the    
,alhambra1 it may be well to direct the 
reader's attention briefly to the       
general system upon which such ,art as  
the ,moors practised1 and most dearly   
loved1 was based4 ,those who would know 
all about it1 must give themselves      
diligently to a study of all ,owen      
,jones' works2 from the ponderous       
,alhambra1 with its magnificent         
illustrations1 to the little guide to   
the ,alhambra ,courts of the ,crystal   
,palace1 not forgetting to test his     
theory by his practice in the beautiful 
reproductions of ,moorish ,art he has   
created for their edification at        
,sydenham4 ,in the pages of the smaller 
volume they will find the system        
epitomised simply and delightfully in   
nine propositions under the following   
heads4  ,first1 to decorate             
construction1 never to construct        

decoration4  ,second1 to let all lines  
grow out of each other in gradual       
undulations--always so as to conduce to 
repose4  ,third1 to care first for      
general forms and then for harmonious   
subdivisions and fillings4  ,fourth1 to 
balance straight1 inclined1 and curved  
forms so as to produce harmony and      
repose by contrast4  ,fifth1 to let all 
lines flow out of a parent stem1        
traceable throughout its course4        
,sixth1 either radially 7as in nature   
with the human hand or in a chestnut    
leaf474  ,seventh1 or tangentially1--as 
stems from branches4  ,eighth1 to avoid 
the simpler curves and use only those of
 a higher order4  ,ninth1 to treat all  
ornament conventionally1 i4e41 not in   
direct imitation of ,nature1 but in a   
mode of imitation subordinated to the   
architectural conditions of the surface 
or form to be ornamented4               
,illustration3 ,,plate #ge  ,,granada   
,,mdw #ahfi  ,,cathedral ,,from ,,the   
,,back ,,of ,,the ,,high ,,altar        

,,plate ,,lxxv4  ,,granada4  ,,view ,,of
 ,,the ,,cathedral ,,from ,,the ,,back  
,,of ,,the ,,high ,,altar   ,,it is     
always interesting to watch the first   
rays of light which dissipate clouds of 
darkness or prejudice2 and this1 by the 
aid of the annals of the early printing 
press1 we are enabled to do 7with       
comparative certainty as to chronology7 
in the case of the dawn of the revival  
of classical architecture in every      
country of ,europe except ,italy4 ,in   
that favoured land1 the sacred fire of  
,roman tradition was never quite        
extinguished1 and in its great cities   
the renascent flame was already lambent1
 and gaining strength1 before ,sweynheim
 and ,pannarz started their celebrated  
press at ,subiaco4  ,the first edition  
of the ten books of ,vitruvius printed  
by ,g4 ,herolt at ,rome1 circa #adhf1   
was immediately followed by the edition 
of ,florence1 under the editorship of   
,leon ,baptista ,alberti1 bearing the   
imprint of the previous year4 ,at least 

two other editions were exhausted in    
,italy before the close of the century1 
and succeeded by many more previous to  
the middle1 of the sixteenth century4   
,alberti's own admirable writings on    
,architecture and the other ,fine ,arts 
moved all ,italy1 giving a thoroughly   
practical direction to the lessons      
somewhat obscurely inculated by         
,vitruvius2 whose writings1 without     
,alberti's comments1 would have been of 
little practical use in countries in    
which ample remains of classical art    
were not at hand for reference and      
study4  ,the first ,french edition of   
the text of ,vitruvius is of #aebc2 the 
first ,german is of #aedc4 ,the first   
,french translation dates from #aedg2   
the first ,german from #aedh1 published 
at ,nuremburg4 ,it was volgarizzato in  
,italy from #aeba4  ,the ,latin text was
 translated into ,spanish by ,miguel de 
,urrea and printed after his death at   
,alcala de ,heares in #aehg4 ,its       
publication had however been long       

preceded in ,spain by the digest of the 
views of ,vitruvius under the tide of   
las ,medidas del ,romano o ,vitruvio1   
published by ,diego de ,sagredo in      
#aebf4 ,sagredo had no doubt been       
stimulated to such studies1 7as ,alberti
 had previously been7 by his admiration 
of the vestiges of ,roman architectural 
greatness1 still abounding on the soil  
of his native land4  ,what oral         
tradition could teach previous to the   
publication of these texts in ,spain1 no
 doubt the architect of the ,cathedral  
of ,granada1 ,diego de ,siloe1 had      
learnt from his father1 ,gil1 the even  
more celebrated ,sculptor of ,burgos2   
whose monuments to ,don ,juan ,,ii41 his
 ,queen1 ,donna ,isabel1 and the        
,infante ,don ,alonso1 and whose        
,retablo in the ,cartuja of ,miraflores 
in the outskirts of that city1 have     
never been surpassed in tasteful        
elaboration4#df ,from whatever source   
,diego de ,siloe may have obtained his  
knowledge1 certain it is that he must   

share with ,alonso ,covarrubbias1 the   
honour of having been the earliest      
revivers of classical architecture in   
,spain3 not in its details only as had  
been attempted by the early ,plateresque
 architects1 but in its structural      
proportions and in its symmetrical      
arrangements of great leading features4 
,the following is the account of the    
construction of this ,cathedral given by
 ,amirola4#dg  ,it was begun1 he says1  
on the #aeth of ,march1 #aebi1 and      
consists of three naves1 the principal  
of which terminates in the choir after  
the ,gothic manner4 ,it is four hundred 
and twenty-five feet 7,spanish7 long1   
and two hundred and forty-nine wide4    
,the order is ,corinthian1 but defective
 in its true proportions1 since the     
principal nave is only forty-five feet  
wide1 its height is one hundred and     
twenty4 ,it would profit us but little  
to follow ,amirola through his          
straight-laced criticisms on a design   
the beauty of which he was unable to    

apprehend2 and it may be well to take a 
larger and juster view of its merits4   
,the following which1 ,i heartily       
endorse1 is the verdict of a far better 
judge4#dh ,looking at its plan only1    
this is certainly one of the finest     
churches in ,europe4 ,it would be       
difficult to point out any other in     
which the central aisle leads up to the 
dome1 so well proportioned to its       
dimensions1 and to the dignity of the   
high altar which stands under it1 or one
 where the side aisles have a purpose   
and a meaning so perfectly appropriate  
to the situation1 and where the centre  
aisle has also its functions as         
perfectly marked out and so well        
understood4 ,all this being so1 it is   
puzzling to know how it has been so     
neglected4  ,my sketch has been taken   
from the ,ambulatory at the back of1 and
 surrounding1 the choir4 ,its           
dimensions1 as will be at once apparent1
 are enormous4 ,the arches1 which       
separate the choir from the ambulatory1 

and through one of which in my sketch   
the high altar is seen1 are of very     
great interest4 ,they form the earliest 
examples ,i have ever seen 7out of      
,italy7 of artificial perspectives1     
guocchi di prospettiva4 ,the arches next
 to the choir are narrower and lower    
than those next to the ambulatory2 the  
distance between the two1 owing to the  
necessities of supporting and           
distributing the weights of the vast    
cupola1 being very considerable4 ,the   
two archways are connected by falling   
lines of impost mouldings and converging
 lines of coffering4 ,the consequence is
 that1 as appears in the sketch1 the    
archways1 which really occupy only about
 five and twenty feet in depth1 look at 
least double that dimension4            
,illustration3 ,,plate #gf  ,,granada   
,,the ,,reja ,,of ,,the ,,reyes         
,,catolicos  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate    
,,lxxvi4  ,,granada4  ,,the ,,reja ,,of 
,,the ,,reyes ,,catolicos4   ,i ,,was   
tempted to sketch this magnificent      

screen for four reasons3--  ,firstly1   
because it is1 ,i believe1 entirely of  
iron1 which most of the ,spanish ,rejas 
are not4  ,secondly1 because it is1 ,i  
also believe1 the earliest specimen of  
anything like equal importance in       
,spain4  ,thirdly1 because of its       
historical interest in enclosing the    
tombs of the ,catholic ,sovereigns on   
the spot before which the greatness of  
their lives had been achieved4          
,fourthly1 because ,i considered it to  
be the best in design of all ,i saw4    
,it is by no means the richest1 but it  
appeared to me to be arranged upon the  
justest principles4 ,its chief merits1  
as compared with many others1 ,i        
considered to be as follows3--          
,firstly1 its transparency4 ,one of the 
most important qualities any such screen
 should possess1 is that of due         
subordination to the great architectural
 features of the locality in which it is
 placed4 ,where ornament is spread all  
over the surface of a screen1 or where  

the main lines wander about in          
capricious directions1 the eye is       
arrested by the metal work as a plane   
surface2 and if not actually stopped by 
it1 is at least led off in wayward      
directions1 and fails to pass beyond it4
 ,in this case1 the rectangularity of   
the whole gives great repose2 the plain 
vertical bars almost disappear2 while   
the splendidly ornamented portions of   
the screen seem as if suspended in mid  
air1 and in no wise injure the effect of
 the architecture1#di or diminish the   
apparent space of the locality they     
decorate4  ,secondly1 its stability     
without heaviness4 ,the subdivision of  
the whole surface into regular          
compartments allows of a concentration  
of strength in the skeleton lines1 and  
gives great constructional stiffness    
without too much formality4  ,thirdly1  
its propriety of design4 ,its author has
 simply1 as it were1 asserted the       
principle of serve ,god and honour the  
,king2 instead of1 as is usual1 look at 

me1 and see what a fine fellow ,i am4   
,at the summit of his design he has     
represented the ,crucifixion2           
immediately beneath1 the leading        
incidents of ,gospel history1 making    
conspicuous 7in compliment no doubt to  
the triumph of the ,church in the entry 
into ,granada of his sovereigns71       
,christ's entry into ,jerusalem4 ,as the
 central object1 not much less than     
twenty feet square1 he has grouped in   
masterly style the full heraldic        
insignia of those whose remains are     
deposited in the chapel beyond4 ,the    
lower portion of his design has         
evidently been intended simply to give  
stability to the upper part1 and to     
close the access to the magnificent     
marble and alabaster monuments of       
,ferdinand and ,isabella1 and of ,philip
 of ,burgundy and ,juana la ,loca1      
without interfering with the facilities 
for seeing them of those who might gain 
access to the ,antechapel1 but be       
refused it to the ,mausoleum itself4    

,the name of the admirable artist1 el   
,maestre ,bartholom1 who wrought this   
,reja in the year #aebb1 is inscribed   
upon it1 near to the keyhole of the     
great central gates4  ,illustration3    
,,plate #gg  ,,granada ,l',,arzobispado 
,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate ,,lxxvii4       
,,granada4  ,,view ,,of ,,the           
,,arzobispado4   ,a ,,careful contrast  
of this stately old mansion in which1 if
 not the hand1 at least the influence of
 the architect1 ,henrique de ,egas1 7son
 of ,anequin de ,egas de ,bruselas1 so  
greatly patronized by the celebrated    
,cardinal ,mendoza17 may be clearly     
traced1 with the great ,palace of       
,charles ,v41 ascribed to the artist    
,machuca1 7both at ,granada17 may afford
 a useful lesson to the architectural   
student4 ,in the earliest of the two    
monuments--the ,arzobispado--a window of
 which ,i now offer a slight sketch1 the
 florid ,plateresque style1 as          
exemplified by the celebrated ,hospedal 
de la ,santa ,cruz1 at ,toledo1         

7,sketches #dd1 #de1 #df7 is at once    
recalled to the memory4 ,in the latest1 
we find a marked sympathy with the      
symmetrical style of the then           
fashionable ,italian architects4 ,the   
,circular ,cortile of ,vignola's        
masterpiece at ,caprarola1 is exceeded  
in dimension1 and indeed in dignity of  
style1 by the vast round ,patio of the  
,palace of ,charles ,v41 with which it  
is probably nearly contemporary4  ,such 
sober architecture1 though enriched by  
the chisel of sculptors who1 like       
,berruguete1 had been ardent admirers of
 ,florentine and ,roman models1 was the 
form of ,plateresque which1 intervening 
between the first form of ,renaissance1 
founded on ,french and ,burgundian      
models1 and the austere ,italian of     
,herrera1 found special favour in the   
eyes of the most judicious critics in   
,spain4  ,how far the best designers of 
,spain1 amongst whom must certainly be  
reckoned ,juan de ,arfe y ,villafae1    
acknowledged their dependence upon the  

great ,italian masters for all they     
considered most excellent in style1 may 
be gathered from the curious account of 
the development of good art in his      
time#ej that he gives in his celebrated 
,treatise on ,sculpture and             
,architecture4 ,after dwelling upon what
 he curiously enough calls the obra     
moderna1 with which the great cathedrals
 of ,spain had been1 as he considers1   
built1 he observes1 ,this barbarous     
work1 having arrived at its end1 its    
disuse having commenced in our times1   
gave place to the ancient styles of the 
,greeks and ,romans4 ,although this     
style of work had been revived at an    
earlier period in ,italy by the         
diligence and study of ,bramante1       
,master of the ,works of ,st4 ,peter's  
at ,rome1 ,baldassare ,perruzzi and     
,leon ,baptista ,alberti1 celebrated    
architects1 it also began to flourish in
 ,spain through the industry of the     
excellent ,alonso de ,covarrubbias1     
,master of the ,works of the ,cathedral 

at ,toledo1 and of the ,royal ,palace1  
father of the most famous doctor1 ,don  
,diego ,covarrubbias1 ,president of the 
,supreme ,council of his ,majesty and   
,bishop of ,segovia1 and of ,diego      
,siloe1 ,master of the ,works of the    
,cathedral and ,palace of ,granada4     
,these masters began to use this kind of
 work in many places wherever they      
built1 although always with some        
admixture of the modern work 7,gothic or
 early ,plateresque7 which they could   
never entirely forget4  ,illustration3  
,,plate #gh  ,,guadalaxara  ,,palace    
,,of ,,the ,,duqu ,,del ,,infantado     
,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate ,,lxxviii4      
,,guadalaxara4  ,,palacio ,,de ,,los    
,,duques ,,del ,,infantado4   ,,this is 
unquestionably one of the most important
 of the ,palaces of the ancient nobility
 left in ,spain1 worthy of the renown of
 the ,mendozas1 long ,seigneurs of      
,guadalaxara4 ,in spite of its present  
picturesque aspect1 however1            
architecturally speaking1 it is a       

strange jumble of incongruities2 and    
offers but a ghost of the beauty it must
 have possessed upon its first          
construction towards the end of the     
fifteenth century from #adfa onwards4   
,splendour it must have possessed in    
perfection at the date at which it      
excited warm admiration in the breast of
 the captive sovereign1 ,francis ,i4 of 
,france1 who was here magnificently     
entertained by the then ,duque del      
,infantado4 ,the top story with its     
remains of continuous arcading and      
balconies1 the walls1 the splendid      
doorway1 and above all the ,patio1 with 
the exception probably of the top       
cornice and the ,doric columns of the   
ground-floor arcade1 all belong to the  
original construction4 ,these remains   
afford sufficient indication of what has
 been destroyed to make way for ,italian
 decoration and barbarous repair1 to    
enable the practised eye to see the     
whole as it once existed2 before a      
vulgar desire for novelty1 and          

especially for foreign novelty induced  
the desecration of the integrity of the 
design4 ,one might have fancied that    
every true ,spaniard would have regarded
 this palace almost as a holy place1    
from its having received the last breath
 of the great ,cardinal ,mendoza--the   
,rex tertius1 whom ,felipe ,vigarny1 or 
some other dextrous sculptor1 portrayed 
in the carvings of the ,cathedral at    
,granada1#ea riding with ,ferdinand and 
,isabella1 and receiving the keys of the
 ,alhambra from the hands of the        
unfortunate ,boabdil el ,chico4  ,the   
interior of this ,palace is fully as    
rich and remarkable as the exterior4    
,the ,patio which is about eighty feet  
long by fifty-six wide1 7about          
two-thirds of the size of the           
court-yards of the ,royal ,exchange and 
the ,india ,office71 is surrounded by   
arcades of two stories1 each about      
twenty feet in height4 ,both series of  
arches are of a ,gothic and fantastic   
form1 with spandrels filled in on the   

lower story with lions1 and on the upper
 with winged griffins4 ,between each    
arch are columns1 surmounted with       
armorial bearings1 eagles1 and grouped  
finials4 ,the whole1 if coarsely1 is    
very spiritedly carved1 and produces a  
stately and simple1 though rich effect4 
,the saloons are large and lofty1 with  
remains of beautiful half ,moorish      
ceilings1 and much effective ,italian   
fresco decoration of good colour and    
enriched with harmonious ,arabesque     
ornament4  ,the state of this once      
splendid structure is unfortunately as  
dilapidated as the national finances4   
,what more can or need be said8         
,everything going to pieces for want of 
that stitch in time1 which nowhere1 and 
in nothing1 in ,spain1 seems ever likely
 to save nine4  ,illustration3 ,,plate  
#gi  ,,guadalaxara ,,san ,,miguel  ,,mdw
 #ahfi     ,,plate ,,lxxix4             
,,guadalaxara4  ,,doorway ,,of ,,the    
,,monastery ,,of ,,san ,,miguel4   ,,in 
and about ,guadalaxara may be found many

 indications of the traditional         
preservation1 long after the expulsion  
of the ,moors1 not only from ,new       
,castille1 but from ,spain generally as 
well1 of their excellence in the        
technical arts1 amongst which           
brick-making1 combining1 and laying were
 conspicuous4 ,hence1 especially        
throughout the two ,castilles1 ,aragon1 
and ,andalucia1 the common method of    
using brick-work is peculiarly ,oriental
 and effective4 ,the entrance doorway to
 the ,monastery of ,san ,miguel1 which  
forms the subject of our seventy-ninth  
sketch1 illustrates this mixture2 as    
well it may1 since traces are yet to be 
found of the structure having been      
originally a mosque converted1 probably1
 shortly before the year #aejj to       
,christian uses4 ,the round instead of  
square buttresses1 with conical         
terminations1 the segmental arch1 with  
its ponderous archivolt1 the great      
strength and almost heaviness given by  
the regular rectangular setting out of  

the woodwork--and a coarseness and yet  
spirit in the execution of carving1 are 
marked features of ,aragonese style2 the
 echoes of which may not unfrequently be
 met with at ,naples1 especially in the 
entrance gateways to many an old house4 
,i well remember being puzzled by       
several of those which ,i sketched      
there1 and which appeared to me to      
differ from ordinary contemporary       
,italian architecture in other          
localities4 ,i subsequently recognized  
similar features in ,palermo1 and       
elsewhere in ,sicily4  ,illustration3   
,,plate #hj  ,,guadalaxara ,,casa ,,del 
,,duqu ,,de ,,ribas  ,,mdw #ahfi        
,,plate ,,lxxx4  ,,guadalaxara4  ,,casa 
,,del ,,duqu ,,de ,,ribas4   ,,the      
traveller who takes his seat for an hour
 or so before some old portal of a      
,spanish provincial mansion1 garnished  
with heraldic insignia1 proclaiming the 
rank1 if not the dignity1 of the        
possible owner1 can scarcely fail to be 
struck by the usual incongruity between 

the assumption of the structure1 and the
 modesty1 not to say meanness1 of those 
who pass in and out of it generally at  
long intervals4 ,the sketcher's         
operations naturally1 after a little    
while1 attract the attention of some    
few1 and their name is legion throughout
 ,spain1 of those who have nothing to   
do2 or who1 at any rate1 do nothing1 but
 wander lazily but restlessly up and    
down to while away the time4 ,after a   
compliment or two1 and probably a       
request that the spectators will not    
stand exactly between the artist and the
 object he may be drawing1 an inquiry   
very generally follows as to whose house
 that may be8 ,if the answer extends    
beyond the usual ,quien sabe ,caballero8
 it may chance to be del ,seor ,duqu1 or
 del ,seor ,marques1 something or other1
 or at any rate of a ,seor somebody1    
somebody1 somebody4 ,to the next        
inquiry1 as to where the ,hidalgo1 if he
 be such1 may be8 the usual answer will 
be ,madrid or ,paris1 or at any rate the

 chef-lieu of the ,province4 ,the next  
demand may likely enough be1 ,who lives 
there then1 now8 ,if the answer is not  
the usual ,no puedo decir a ,usted1 it  
may possibly be1 ,el ,seor              
,administrador1 the ,steward1 or        
,algunos ,pobres1 or ,don ,manoel1 the  
shoemaker1 or ,don ,juan1 the carpenter4
  ,where the nobility live1 if they are 
not all absentees1 it seems very        
difficult to find out2 and hence it is  
that instead of ladies and gentlemen1   
and liveried servants1 who pass in and  
out of these grand looking portone1 the 
sketcher usually sees only extremely    
picturesque poverty4 ,sometimes this    
presents itself in the shape of a ragged
 girl or two1 carrying antique-shaped   
earthen water-jars1 sometimes an old    
woman with a heap of long-haired unkempt
 children sitting down to spin1 or reel 
off yarn1 or lolling against the wall1  
distaff in hand2 and sometimes1         
possibly1 two or three boys or young men
 assemble1 who1 after smoking out some  

cigarrilos or stumps of cigars1 coil    
themselves up on the threshold1 and go  
off into a comatose condition closely   
resembling sleep4  ,such were my        
experiences whilst trying to gain some  
local information as to the mansion of  
the very noble1 the ,duqu de ,ribas at  
,guadalaxara4  ,illustration3 ,,plate   
#ha  ,,guadalaxara ,,door ,,handle      
,,calle ,,del ,,barrio ,,nuevo ,n #aj   
,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate ,,lxxxi4        
,,guadalaxara4  ,,door ,,handle ,,from  
,,the ,,calle ,,del ,,barrio ,,nuevo4   
,,the outskirts of ,guadalaxara are very
 picturesque1 and the traveller who     
wanders about in quest of beauty1 old or
 new1 cannot fail to be rewarded2 not   
only by glimpses of scenery1 but by the 
discovery of many quaint little         
fragments of art which have escaped the 
attention of the many despoiling        
locusts--native as well as foreign--who 
have done their best at different times 
to devour the land4 ,of such1 a specimen
 is given in the knowing little knocker1

 or door-handle illustrated in my       
eighty-first sketch4 ,it is no doubt a  
joke on the part of some cunning smith1 
of the last century1 mindful of the     
still greater cunning of his handicraft1
 traditions of which may have descended 
to him1 from the days when the armourers
 of ,spain rivalled those of ,milan and 
,augsburg4  ,illustration3 ,,plate #hb  
,,saragossa  ,,palacio ,,della ,,infanta
  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate ,,lxxxii4     
,,saragossa4  ,,view ,,of ,,the ,,patio 
,,of ,,the ,,palacio ,,de ,,la          
,,infanta4   ,,ponz speaks with great   
complacency of the sumptuousness of the 
houses of ,saragossa--particularly those
 with columns1 7such as that of the     
,marques de ,monistol7 and those the    
,patios of which are adorned with       
sculptures--such costly and sumptuous   
works1 he says1 as no one undertakes now
 a days4 ,amongst these he              
particularises the house which forms the
 subject of the present sketch4 ,before 
his time it appears to have belonged to 

the ,citizen ,gabriel ,zaporta1 muy     
distinguido y rico1 as ,ponz calls him4 
,from him it was bought by the widow of 
a certain ,don ,gabriel ,franco4 ,at the
 close of the last century it was the   
home of the ,infante ,don ,luis1 7uncle 
of ,charles ,,iv4 of ,spain71 a         
,cardinal and ,archbishop of ,toledo6   
who married ,la ,vallabriga1 earning    
exile to ,saragossa for his pains4 ,she 
lived here with him1 and procured for   
the house its popular and best known    
name1 la ,casa de la ,infanta4 ,their   
eldest daughter was bestowed1 as an     
,infanta of ,spain1 upon the detestable 
,godoy--,prince of ,peace1--the         
recognised lover of her first cousin by 
marriage1 the ,queen1 wife of ,charles  
,,iv41 thus crowning a double           
msalliance4  ,on the ground floor1 says 
,ponz1#eb of the ,patio are twelve      
arches supported on columns wrought with
 a thousand fancies1 as are those also  
of the first floor4 ,on the lower floor 
of this house is a painter's studio4    

,both floors are enriched with          
medallions representing kings1 fanciful 
foliage1 and infinite labour in         
cornices1 mouldings1 c4 ,similar        
elaboration1 now much defaced1 is to be 
seen in the staircase with vaulting1 and
 handrail with medallions recalling     
those of the first floor4  ,amongst the 
most important palaces1 next to the     
house of ,zaporta or de la ,infanta1 and
 that of the ,marques de ,monistol1 were
 those known as the ,castel-,florit1    
which belonged in ,ponz's time to the   
,count ,aranda--and another the property
 of the ,duqu de ,hijar4 ,the ,casa de  
,comercio which forms the subject of my 
eighty-fifth sketch was less important  
as to quantity1 but more important as to
 quality1 than those last mentioned     
appear to have been4 ,as a general rule1
 the ,saragossan houses appear very     
large but coarsely treated as to detail1
 even in the richest1 such as those with
 showy windows behind the ,seminario1 in
 the ,plazuela de ,san ,carlos4  ,my    

sketch sufficiently shows the base uses 
to which the truly palatial ,casa de    
,zaporta1 or de la ,infanta1 has come at
 last4 ,it is well that as many as      
possible of the rising generation of    
art-students should see it1 for it is   
not likely that any of it will be left  
for their children4  ,illustration3     
,,plate #hc  ,,casa ,,de ,,los          
,,infantes ,,zaragoza  ,,mdw #ahfi      
,,plate ,,lxxxiii4  ,,saragossa4        
,,detail ,,of ,,the ,,arcading ,,of     
,,the ,,first ,,floor ,,of ,,the ,,casa 
,,de ,,la ,,infanta4   ,,this sketch    
gives to an enlarged scale some of the  
architectural features represented in   
little in the preceding sketch4 ,many of
 the arches which were once open in a   
beautiful arcading are now closed up in 
lath and plaster2 with a heartless      
indifference to everything else than    
getting as much room as possible to let 
to the poor lodgers who swarm in this   
once splendid ,palace4 ,the whitewash   
brush goes recklessly over any surfaces 

with which it is brought into contact at
 the command of sanitary inspectors1 who
 enforce perfunctory cleansings from    
time to time of at least the outside of 
the platter4 ,as ,i sat sketching and   
poking about for some hours in this     
apparent rabbit warren of a house1 ,i   
could not but become conscious that the 
,arragonese had by no means lost their  
old character for devotion1 not to say  
bigotry4 ,our ,lady of the pillar1 the  
tutelary of ,saragossa in spite of all  
alleged pilferings from her shrine1     
seemed still at a premium in popular    
estimation2 and casts of her in the     
poorest plaster were multiplied even in 
the poorest tenements4 ,in fact1 this   
seemed to be the very place for meeting 
with the truly ,spanish couple of the   
lower middle class1 so well sketched by 
the ,german ,fischer in his travels at  
the close of the last century4 ,i cannot
 conclude this letter1 says he1 without 
saying a word or two of my hosts4 ,both 
the man and his wife are originals not  

to be met with but in ,catholic         
countries2 both bigots to excess1 but   
each in a different way4 ,in the        
husband1 this disposition has assumed a 
silent and gloomy cast of character1    
while in his wife it bears all the      
symptoms of tenderness4 ,the husband has
 filled the whole house1 and especially 
his own apartment1 with images of       
saints1 resembling an entire collection 
of the little ,augsburg toys so well    
known in ,germany4 ,in fulfilment of a  
vow1 he mutters his prayers three times 
a day before these idols1 an occupation 
which daily employs two full hours4 ,he 
also imposes on himself very painful    
mortifications1 talks very little1 reads
 gloomy books1 and remains whole hours  
with his eyes shut1 so that he is on the
 high road to become either a madman or 
a saint4 ,the wife's fanaticism is much 
more social1 and her pious imaginations 
bear the stamp of the mildness and      
softness of her sex4 ,she has got       
herself received a slave of the ,holy   

,trinity 7esclava de la ,santissima     
,trinidad71 of which she has obtained a 
certificate in form from her confessor1 
and in consequence of which she is bound
 every day to decorate a large picture  
with flowers and tapers1 to repeat a    
certain number of prayers before it1 and
 to pay a certain sum weekly to her     
confessor1 an agent of the ,trinity2 yet
 all this does not seem to her          
sufficient for salvation1 and she has   
besides an image of the ,holy ,virgin1  
which she very punctually supplies with 
all the necessary habiliments1 both for 
day and night1 besides tapers1 flowers  
and all that can contribute to ornament 
the happy idol4  ,this devout esclava is
 a little woman very affable and        
complaisant1 whose religious sentiments 
do not at all interfere with other      
terrestrial feelings1 while her         
impassive husband seems to have arrived 
at all the spirituality of the blessed4 
,illustration3 ,,plate #hd  ,,saragoza  
,,la ,,lonja  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate   

,,lxxxiv4  ,,saragossa4  ,,exterior ,,of
 ,,the ,,exchange4   ,,there is         
something about the exterior of this    
fine building essentially ,florentine in
 style4 ,the bold overhanging and       
crowning cornice1 the ,ricardi-,palace  
kind of windows1 the simplicity of the  
,mezzanine1 and indeed the introduction 
of a ,mezzanine at all1 associated with 
the severity of the rectangular         
structure1 massive in a noble           
simplicity1 rather recall the work of   
the grand masters of ,tuscan            
,architecture at the end of the         
fifteenth century1 than any styles1     
,plateresque or ,greco-,roman1 one      
recognises as peculiarly ,spanish4  ,the
 name of the architect appears to have  
been lost1 but there is no question as  
to the date of its erection1 which is   
given by an inscription which runs      
beneath a cornice in the interior1 and  
states that it was completed in #aeea1  
reynando ,donya ,jona y ,don ,carlos su 
hijo4  ,the ,lonjas1 or ,exchanges1 of  

,spain1 constitute an important and     
interesting class of buildings1 dating1 
from medival times in the most          
commercial of the towns on the seaboard1
 and from the ,renaissance period in    
those of the interior4 ,the term ,lonja1
 originally only implied a long place or
 platform1 the sort of spot in a town on
 which merchants would meet1 as on the  
flags at ,liverpool4 ,in process of time
 the ,lonjas came to be covered in1 and 
converted into handsome ,exchanges4 ,the
 earliest structure of this class is1 or
 rather was1 at ,barcelona4 ,all the    
fine old building of #achc1 ,mr4 ,street
 tells us1 has been completely          
destroyed1 with the one exception of its
 grand ,hall1 which still does service  
as of old4 ,this consists of three      
naves1 divided by lofty and slender     
columns1 which carry stilted            
semi-circular arches4 ,the ceiling is   
flat 444 and the dimensions about one   
hundred feet by seventy-five4 ,the ,casa
 ,lonja of ,valencia1 which ,mr4 ,street

 has also fully illustrated#ec is one of
 the prettiest of the late ,gothic      
buildings in ,spain4 ,it was erected    
between #adhb and the close of the      
fifteenth century4 ,the next important  
,lonja in point of date was the         
,saragossan of #aeea4 ,the last was that
 of ,seville built by ,herrera between  
#aehe and #aeih1 and certainly one of   
his best works4 ,it was avowedly built  
in rivalry with ,gresham's ,royal       
,exchange--completed in #aega4  ,to the 
interior of the fine building under     
notice ,i could not obtain access1 and  
have therefore to trust to ,ponz's      
description of it4 ,it forms1 he says1 a
 splendid saloon with an internal double
 gallery of ,doric columns and arches1  
to the number of fifty4 ,within it are  
erected an altar to1 and statue of1 the 
guardian angel1 in fact the building had
 its ,lararium4 ,ponz mentions1 further1
 many paintings4 ,these appear no longer
 to exist1 since all ,i could learn by  
personal inquiry on the spot was that   

the place1 having long been used as a   
carpenter's shop and warehouse was now  
absolutely empty and unused4 ,i fear    
therefore that the ,angelo ,custode has 
had too much to do1 and has broken down 
under his task4  ,illustration3 ,,plate 
#he  ,,saragoza ,,casa ,,de ,,comercio  
,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate ,,lxxxv4        
,,saragossa4  ,,patio ,,of ,,the ,,casa 
,,de ,,comercio4   ,,this house1        
originally a ,gothic one1 in some of its
 earliest details1 still acknowledges   
its allegiance to the noble family of   
the ,torrellas1 its founders4 ,their    
arms1 with a lion1 and the three little 
towers which pun heraldically upon their
 name1 as charges1 still exist upon a   
,gothic escutcheon over one of the      
doorways4 ,the house is locally stated1 
,i know not on what authority1 to have  
been occupied1 and altered by a company 
of ,genoese merchants1 whence1 no doubt1
 its popular name de ,comercio4 ,it is  
situated in the ,calle de ,sant' ,jago1 
and is now the property of the ,marquis 

de ,ayerve4  ,although retaining the    
usual ,saragossan bracket-capitals and  
,anillos1 in the shape of quasi bases   
and dies or pedestals united1 the       
symmetry of the plan and the regularity 
of the cinque-cento ornament and        
,arabesque of the panels and pilasters  
certainly bear out the tradition of the 
,genoese occupation and alteration of an
 original medival structure early in the
 sixteenth century4  ,at that time1 and 
for nearly a couple of centuries        
afterwards1 the bulk of the commercial  
transactions of ,spain were administered
 by foreigners1 principally at first    
,italians1 and subsequently ,flemings   
and ,frenchmen4 ,the expulsion of the   
,moors1 the persecutions of the ,jews1  
and the pouring in of ,american silver  
opened up a splendid field in ,spain1   
during this period1 for the trafficking 
talents of people endowed with greater  
activity and commercial genius than the 
,spaniards themselves possessed4 ,their 
function was to despise trade1 and use1 

but detest1 the foreigners1 whose       
aptitude for work supplied the wants    
engendered by one of their besetting    
sins--laziness4 ,ociedad1 raiz de los   
vicios1 y sepulchro de las virtudes1 as 
,marcos ,obregon exclaims4 ,en quatro   
cosas1 he continues1 gasta la vida el   
ocioso1 en dormir sin tiempo1 en comer  
sin sagon1 en solicitar quietas1 en     
murmurar de todos4#ed  ,the following   
are the ,countess d',aulnois' comments  
on the effects of the mixed jealousy and
 laziness of the ,spaniards in her      
time--the latter part of the seventeenth
 century4  ,all strangers1 she says1    
what services soever they may have done1
 the ,spaniards ought to fear them1 they
 considering themselves and interests   
only1 in such a manner that the         
,italians and ,flemings1 that are this  
king's subjects1 are used no more       
favourably than if born under another   
master4 ,if they pretend to imployments1
 either at ,court or in the armies1 they
 are told they are not natural          

,spaniards who engross all1 as well to  
keep up the glory of the nation1 as out 
of diffidence of others1 whom they in a 
manner declare incapable of all trust   
because not born in ,spain2 this        
country1 nevertheless1 abounds in       
strangers1 but they are only artificers 
and mercenaries invited by gain1 and    
that meddle with nothing but their      
peddling traffick4 ,it is thought that  
there are above forty thousand ,french  
in ,madrid1 who1 wearing the ,spanish   
habit1 and calling themselves           
,burgundinians1 ,walloons and           
,lorraines1 keep up commerce and        
manufacture2 it concerns them to conceal
 their country1 for if it be discovered1
 they are obliged to pay a daily        
,pole-money of about a penny to the     
town1 and1 any bad success happening to 
the publick1 appearing in the streets1  
are liable to a thousand insolencies1   
even to blows4  ,they that know what    
number of strangers are in this town1   
report1 that would they undertake it1   

they might make themselves masters1 and 
drive out the ,spaniards4               
,illustration3 ,,plate #hf  #ahfi ,,mdw 
,,saragossa ,,house ,,of ,,the ,,marquis
 ,,of ,,monistol     ,,plate ,,lxxxvi4  
,,saragossa4  ,,patio ,,of ,,the ,,house
 ,,of ,,the ,,marquis ,,of ,,monistol4  
,,the great dimensions of this house1   
and its massive strength and solidity   
are no bad emblems of the old           
sturdiness1 wealth1 and pride of the    
,aragonese nobility1 whose ,plateresque 
architecture differed as ,mr4 ,o',shea  
justly remarks1 in many points from its 
countertype the ,seville ,moro-,italian1
 or strictly ,andalusian style1 applied 
to private dwellings4 ,although         
apparently far ruder in execution than  
either of the other two houses ,i       
sketched--that of the ,infanta and that 
known as de ,comercio--in the same city1
 ,i have little doubt that this is of   
considerably later date4 ,the florid    
,spanish ,plateresque of the former1 and
 the cinque-cento carving of the latter1

 took precedence of the more regular    
,greco-,roman architecture aimed at by  
the architect of the house now under    
notice4 ,the retention of the bracket   
capital in lieu of either arches or a   
lengthened column1 and of the anillo or 
ring dividing the shaft into two        
heights1 illustrate the way in which    
local habits interfered with the        
adoption of the rigid rules prescribed  
by the writers on architecture1 and     
practised by contemporary architects1 of
 the ,herrera type4  ,considering the   
terrible fortunes of war1 to which      
,saragossa has been exposed1 and its    
frightful hand to hand fighting in the  
heart of the city1 it is only wonderful 
that so much of the past should still   
linger within the lines of defence4 ,if 
the ruinous sieges have left ,saragossa 
poorer than they found her1 they        
certainly do not appear to have left her
 weaker or less fierce4 ,she struck me  
as being poorer and prouder than any    
other city ,i visited in ,spain4 ,at the

 same time1 both men and women show a   
hardy activity and lively inclination to
 pugnacity ,i did not see elsewhere4    
,the only answer ,i got from a ,madrileo
 to my question as to why the           
,saragossans did not work8 was1 that    
they preferred fighting1 adding that    
while they would look hard at a peseta  
before they would undertake even a      
trifling job for it1 they would at any  
time do a good day's fighting for one   
half of that coin4  ,illustration3      
,,plate #hg  ,,saragoza  ,,plazuela     
,,aduana  ,,mdw #ahfi  ,,bronze         
,,renaissance ,,knocker     ,,plate     
,,lxxxvii4  ,,saragossa4  ,,bronze      
,,renaissance ,,knocker ,,of ,a ,,house 
,,in ,,the ,,plazuela ,,aduana4   ,,the 
quaint little animal1 or rather         
conventionalised notion of an animal1   
which ,i found in an out of the way     
,plazuela1 or little place1 of          
,saragossa1 doing duty as a knocker1    
furnishes a good illustration of the    
ready dexterity in his craft of the old 

,spanish smith and brazier4 ,of splendid
 bronze work 7in spite of the intrinsic 
value of the material which has no doubt
 led to the fusion of thousands of      
treasures of ,art all over the          
,peninsula7 ,spain yet possesses        
invaluable treasures4 ,amongst these the
 most salient which occur to my memory  
as single pieces1 are the magnificent   
eleven gilt life-size portrait statues  
of the greatest of the ,spanish ,royal  
,family from ,charles ,v4 to ,philip    
,,ii4 with which ,pompeio ,leoni        
decorated the ,entierros ,reales of the 
,escorial--and the same sculptor's still
 finer statues of the celebrated prime  
minister and favourite1 the ,duqu de    
,lerma1 and his ,duqueza1 founders of   
the ,convent of ,san ,pablo1 at         
,valladolid1 whence they have been      
transferred to the museum of that city4 
,as semi-architectural1                 
semi-sculpturesque works in bronze1     
occasionally with an admixture of iron  
upon a large scale1 of course the most  

important and abundant are the late     
,rejas1 or metal screens1 of the great  
,spanish churches and cathedrals4 ,of   
these1 ample notices are given by both  
,ford and ,o',shea--authorities1 at once
 so excellent1 and so readily           
accessible1 as to render unnecessary any
 more on my part than a passing         
reference to them4  ,another form in    
which copper and bronze have been well  
and plentifully used by the ,spaniards  
is in the shape of coverings and        
strengthenings to doors4 ,in this guise 
the models have been mainly derived from
 the ,moors whose doors may generally1  
whether in wood or metal1 be regarded as
 perfection itself1 for beauty1         
strength1 and fitness for the           
circumstances under which they have been
 used4 ,the ,spaniards 7at ,toledo      
,cathedral for example7 have produced   
many admirable doors in which1 by the   
judicious strengthening of the joiner's 
work with embossed and occasionally     
perforated bronze plates1 they have     

combined strength with moderate         
substance1 and the appearance of great  
richness with fairly simple and not     
costly labour4  ,illustration3 ,,plate  
#hh  ,,lerida ,,san ,,lorenzo4  ,,mdw   
#ahfi     ,,plate ,,lxxxviii4  ,,lerida4
  ,,tower ,,of ,,the ,,church ,,of ,,san
 ,,lorenzo4   ,,the interest of every   
other building in ,lerida altogether    
pales before that of its noble1 but now 
much desecrated ,cathedral4 ,its ancient
 glories may be well studied in ,mr4    
,street's pages1 but its present        
humiliation can only be appreciated upon
 the spot4 ,toiling up from the city    
through streets and open platforms on   
the hill-side1 thronged with soldiers1  
gipsies1 beggars1 and ragged boys       
innumerable1 the traveller at last      
arrives1 not at a church1 but at a      
monster-barrack4 ,in lieu of a sacristan
 he has to engage the services of a     
corporal as ,cicerone1 and with the     
consent of1 ,i am bound to say1 an      
exceedingly polite ,spanish officer1 he 

is free to examine1 at his leisure1 a   
,cathedral which1 as ,mr4 ,street says1 
is in itself worth the journey from     
,england4 ,its construction1 and that of
 its splendid cloister1 occupied almost 
the whole of the thirteenth century1 and
 the vastness and regularity of its     
plan1 its solid and perfect execution1  
and the just proportion of its          
structural and ornamental details       
certainly1 to my mind1 justify the      
praise bestowed upon them by that       
accomplished architect4  ,it was sad to 
see such a building cut about by the    
insertion of floors and partitions1 and 
to hear the piquant1 not to say ribald1 
jokes1 refranes1 seguidillas and songs  
of the soldiers1 echoing from vaulting  
which once rang only with peals from the
 organ1 and chants and hymns from the   
priests and people4  ,as my stay was    
bound to be short in ,lerida1 and ,i    
remembered that ,mr4 ,street had done   
full justice to the ,cathedral1 ,i      
looked elsewhere for a subject for my   

note-book1 and found it in the          
picturesque tower of the ,church of ,san
 ,lorenzo1 given by my eighty-eighth    
sketch4  ,the legend runs that this     
,church1 and that of ,san ,juan1 were   
originally mosques2 and that after the  
taking of the city from the ,moors in   
#aadi1 they were applied to ,christian  
uses4 ,i am inclined to think this      
probable1 although the detail is not    
anywhere ,mahommedan1 so far as the     
darkness of the interior would allow me 
to form any opinion4 ,the great         
thickness of the walls1 the mode of     
lighting1 the form and proportions of   
the entrance archways 7shown in my      
sketch7 and the materials and mode of   
building of the base of the tower all   
seem to favour the supposition of an    
original ,moorish construction4 ,the    
octagonal form of tower is a favourite  
feature of this district1 and occurs on 
a grand scale in the old ,cathedral4    
,the upper portion1 at least1 of this   
tower of ,san ,lorenzo1 may probably    

date from early in the fifteenth        
century4  ,illustration3 ,,plate #hi    
,,barcelona  ,,old ,,house ,,calle ,,de 
,,santa ,,lucia ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate 
,,lxxxix4  ,,barcelona4  ,,old ,,house  
,,in ,,the ,,calle ,,de ,,santa ,,lucia4
   ,,as ,prescott#ee observes1 ,the     
,city of ,barcelona1 which originally   
gave its name to the county of which it 
was the capital1 was distinguished from 
a very early period by ample municipal  
privileges4 ,after the union with       
,aragon in the twelfth century1 the     
monarchs of the latter kingdom extended 
towards it the same liberal legislation2
 so that by the thirteenth1 ,barcelona  
had reached a degree of commercial      
prosperity rivalling that of any of the 
,italian ,republics4 ,she divided with  
them the lucrative commerce with        
,alexandria2 and her port thronged with 
foreigners from every nation1 became a  
principal emporium in the ,mediterranean
 for the spices1 drugs1 perfumes1 and   
other rich commodities of the ,east1    

whence they were diffused over the      
interior of ,spain and the ,european    
,continent4  ,amongst its other merits  
was that of having established in #adja 
the first bank of ,exchange and deposit 
in ,europe--as well as of having        
compiled the first written code amongst 
the ,moderns of ,maritime law4 ,her     
great merchants were magnificos         
ennobled1 not degraded as in ,castile1  
by connection with trade4  ,the long    
civil war which began in #adfb and ended
 with the surrender of the city to ,king
 ,juan in #adgb was the first great     
check the city received in its splendid 
career of prosperity4  ,the house ,i    
have sketched was doubtless well adapted
 to such troublous times1 affording     
comparative safety on its lower floors  
and comparative air and comfort as its  
occupants mounted higher and higher4 ,it
 was probably built shortly after the   
middle of the fifteenth century1        
revealing here and there traces of a    
,french mason's handicraft4 ,it follows 

the type1 not of the merchant's1 but of 
the cavalier's house4 ,such towers1 half
 residence1 half fortress1 were1        
especially in the south of ,europe1 far 
more numerous than one may now be       
justified in supposing2 and the more    
frequently ,italian street views in     
pictures and illuminated manuscripts are
 studied1 the more natural and usual    
appears what we now fancy to be strange 
and rare4 ,with the introduction of     
,renaissance architecture1 the character
 of these quasi-medival structures      
changed altogether4  ,navagiero#ef      
writing of the condition of ,barcelona  
in #aebd1 says that the houses are good 
and commodious1 built of stone and not  
of earth1 as are those of the rest of   
,catalogna4 ,although lying on the sea  
it has no port1 but an arsenal1 in which
 many galleys were wont to be           
constructed1 now there are none4 ,bread 
and wine are scarce1 but of every kind  
of fruit there is abundance4 ,the cause 
is said to be that the land is stripped 

of men through the war with ,king ,john 
on account of his son ,don ,carlos4     
,depopulated the city may have been1 and
 its commerce may1 no doubt1 have       
suffered in consequence1 but the        
,catalonian character was energetic1 and
 the city still preserved much of its   
previously accumulated wealth4          
,merchants too have a knack of          
prospering in troublous times1          
especially those who thrive on profits  
upon imports4 ,hence we still find      
merchants' houses of great comfort1     
although evidently constructed during   
the evil days of ,barcelona4 ,of one of 
these ,i furnish 7in my ninety-sixth    
sketch7 a good example1 offering an     
interesting theme for comparison with   
the sketch now given4  ,illustration3   
,,plate #ij  ,,casa ,,de ,,la           
,,diputacion  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate   
,,xc4  ,,barcelona4  ,,patio ,,of ,,the 
,,casa ,,de ,,la ,,diputacion4          
,,within the ancient ,palacio de la     
,diputacion is preserved the elaborate  

late ,gothic ,chapel of ,st4 ,george    
7protector of ,catalonia7 with a small  
but highly wrought entrance from the    
arcading on the first floor of the      
,patio de la ,audiencia1 represented in 
my sketch4 ,this ,patio is so called    
because its arcades1 in which habitually
 sit many lawyers1 and saunter many     
clients1 lead to the ,courts of         
,justice1 in which causes are tried4    
,the existence of this ,chapel has1 for 
ages1 given a sort of prescriptive right
 to the public to invade the ,patio1 the
 ,chapel1 and its precincts1 upon ,st4  
,george's day4 ,of the gay scene which  
then takes place ,parcerisa#eg has given
 an animated lithograph1 showing the    
very different aspect it then wears to  
any it habitually presents4  ,under any 
circumstances1 however1 its             
architecture1 which is bold1 even to the
 verge of rashness1 gives it a permanent
 interest4 ,it is a subject for wonder1 
that any structure in which the main    
supports of a heavy third story appear  

so insignificant as do the little marble
 columns 7about two inches in diameter  
only7 of the first floor of this ,patio 
should have existed from medival days to
 our times4 ,the truth1 no doubt1 is    
that the main weight of the walls of the
 top story1 and of the roof1 is carried 
by means of massive beams1 acting as    
cantilevers1 back to the walls which    
form the internal faces of the arcades1 
a device not quite maintaining that     
beautiful lamp of truth we are taught to
 look for in all medival designs4 ,the  
users of the arcades have lately        
procured the building up of many of the 
arches1 leaving windows to light the    
arcades4 ,i have taken the liberty of   
omitting all of these but one1 as ,i was
 desirous of showing1 not what the      
lawyers have done1 but what the original
 architects devised1 no doubt as a tour 
de force4  ,i was told upon the spot    
that this building up of the arches1 the
 supports of which certainly appeared to
 my eye far too fragile for beauty1 was 

a matter not of choice but of necessity4
  ,illustration3 ,,plate #ia            
,,barcelona  ,,casa ,,de ,,la           
,,deputacion  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate   
,,xci4  ,,barcelona4  ,,detail ,,from   
,,the ,,casa ,,de ,,la ,,diputacion4    
,,if ,catalonian architecture differs   
from ordinary ,spanish1 and it is quite 
manifest from my sketch that it does in 
detail1 as ,i have already shown that it
 does in system1 the character of the   
,catalonian men and women differs even  
more markedly from that of the ,spanish4
 ,while one of the latter in his        
laziness1 as ,marcos ,obregon says1 ni  
come con gusto1 ni duerme con quietud1  
ni descansa con reposo1 the former1 on  
the contrary1 eat with appetite1 sleep  
with tranquillity1 and throw off their  
cares healthily in rest4 ,the latter1 in
 fact1 chew but scarcely digest the     
bread of idleness1 while the former     
thrive on that of industry4 ,as a       
natural consequence1 there is no love   
lost between the two races4 ,the        

,castilian regards as mean and debasing 
the cultivation of the very mechanical  
arts1 excellence in which the           
,catalonian well knows to be the source1
 not only of wealth1 but of power and   
honour as well4 ,to ,barcelona belongs  
the credit of having been one of the    
first cities in the world1 out of       
,france1 to establish gratuitous schools
 of design in which poor youths were    
taught specially to design for          
manufactures4 ,both ,laborde and        
,whittaker#eh testify to the extent and 
excellence of these schools at the end  
of the last century and beginning of the
 present4 ,the latter1 writing in #ahjc1
 says1 we visited the ,academy of ,arts 
instituted in the ,palace of ,commerce1 
and supported in the most magnificent   
manner by the merchants of ,barcelona4  
,we were conducted through a long suite 
of apartments1 in which seven hundred   
boys were employed in copying and       
designing2 some of them1 who display    
superior talents1 are sent to ,rome1 and

 to the ,academy of ,st4 ,fernando at   
,madrid2 the others are employed in     
different ways by the merchants and     
manufacturers4 ,the rooms are large and 
commodious1 and are furnished with casts
 of celebrated statues and every proper 
apparatus4 ,we observed a few drawings  
of considerable merit1 produced by the  
scholars2 but the grand picture before  
us of liberality and industry1 amply    
rewarded our visit2 and was the more    
striking to us1 for having of late been 
continually accustomed to lament the    
traces of neglect and decay1 so visibly 
impressed on every similar institution  
in the impoverished cities of ,italy4   
,illustration3 ,,plate #ib  ,,barcelona 
,,casa ,,de ,,la ,,deputacion  ,,mdw    
#ahfi     ,,plate ,,xcii4  ,,barcelona4 
,,window ,,from ,,the ,,casa ,,de ,,la  
,,diputacion4   ,,this quaint and very  
late specimen of ,gothic1 although      
,ecclesiastical enough in its sculpture1
 is purely domestic in its architecture4
 ,the latter is in its character rather 

,french or ,burgundian than ,spanish1   
while the former was1 ,i have little    
doubt1 the work of a native of the      
,peninsula4 ,so far as ,i could see1 no 
preparation had ever been made for      
glazing this window1 and the wooden     
shutters1 both in their form and mode of
 joinery1 were rather ,moorish than     
,spanish4 ,no one can be surprised at   
such symptoms of internationality1 in   
works executed at a sea-port like       
,barcelona--in which the ,arts1 like the
 prevalent language1 may have had a     
lingua franca of cosmopolitan freedom   
from prejudice4 ,in most of such ,gothic
 work1 and indeed in every kind of      
building in ,spain1 however fantastic   
and not unfrequently over intricate the 
detail may be1 we scarcely ever observe 
any flimsiness1 or want of due substance
 in the constructional parts4 ,in this  
matter the ,spanish architects merit1   
for attention to the erection of        
permanent structures in all their       
styles1 the praise bestowed by ,mr4     

,street upon those mainly who wrought in
 the medival ones4 ,of those last1 the  
,spanish critics1 who have been         
sometimes accused of overduly estimating
 what they call ,greco-,roman           
architecture1 early showed what ,i      
regard as a fair appreciation4 ,antonio 
,ponz1 for instance1 in the last century
 certainly praised ,berruguete1         
,covarrubbias1 and even ,herrera in very
 glowing terms1 but ,i know few writers 
who have better expressed an opinion as 
to the fitness of the medival styles1   
and especially the old ,spanish system  
of the sturdiest construction1 for      
ecclesiastical purposes4  ,of this      
,arquitectura ,gtica1 he says1#ei nadie 
puede con razn decir1 que falta en la   
majestad y el decoro3 al contrario      
parece inventada para drselo  los       
,templos1 y casas del ,seor4 ,los mas   
insignes ,arquitectos han confessado su 
solidez1 y han tenido mucho que admirar 
en el capricho de sus adornos1 y en la  
prolixidad con que estn acabadas todas  

sus partes4 ,muchos pases de ,europa se 
precian de sus monumentos1 y en ,espaa  
los hay magnificos1 como son la         
,catedral de ,burgos1 la de ,sevilla1   
,valencia1 y otras4  ,illustration3     
,,plate #ic  ,,barcelona  ,,the ,,town  
,,hall  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate ,,xciii4
  ,,barcelona4  ,,doorway ,,in ,,the    
,,town ,,hall4   ,,the mission to ,spain
 of the ,count de ,laborde on the part  
of the ,french ,government at the moment
 when ,napoleon ,i4 thought he had the  
whole country within his grasp1 was     
essentially economic in its object4     
,hence his accounts of1 and             
investigations into1 its past1 present  
and future capabilities for trade are of
 far greater value than his             
topographical and archological          
investigations1 most of which are       
founded on the writings of ,ponz and    
other well known authorities4 ,while    
,spain was at the height of its         
prosperity1 ,seville and subsequently   
,cadiz commanded the ,south ,american   

trade1 but ,barcelona remained as it had
 been from a very early date1 the great 
maritime means of communication and     
interchange of commodities between      
,spain and the rest of ,europe4 ,the    
business transactions carried on at its 
,lonja1 or ,bourse1 and its ,town ,hall 
were very extensive1 and these buildings
 were of commensurate importance4 ,our  
present sketch represents an internal   
doorway of the last named building1 and 
the cosmopolitan character of its       
architecture1 of probably the           
commencement of the sixteenth century1  
will be manifest at a glance4 ,the      
following is ,laborde's#fj epitome of   
the history of that great foreign trade 
of which ,barcelona once shared with    
,valencia and ,almeria almost a complete
 monopoly4  ,the state of ,spanish      
manufactures1 in the fifteenth and      
sixteenth century1 will form a tolerably
 accurate clue to that of commerce at   
the same period4 ,the latter was then in
 a most flourishing condition1 and its  

ramifications extended to all parts of  
,europe4 ,the cities of ,medina del     
,campo1 ,rio ,seco1 ,burgos1 ,segovia1  
,toledo1 ,cuenca1 ,granada1 ,almeria1   
,cordova1 ,jaen1 ,seville1 ,barcelona1  
,valencia1 ,ciudad ,real1 and ,sant'    
,jago1 carried on a very extensive      
commerce4 ,almeria1 ,valencia and       
,barcelona pushed their commercial      
concerns into ,syria1 ,egypt1 ,barbary1 
and the ,archipelago4 ,these cities were
 equally important1 in a mercantile     
view1 with the ,hanseatic towns4        
,barcelona had a very great foreign     
trade2 after the commencement of the    
fourteenth century2 under the ,kings of 
,aragon it equipped and maintained armed
 ships for the defence of the           
,catalonian coast and the protection of 
its trade4 ,it established factories in 
the extreme parts of ,europe and ,asia1 
as far as the river ,tanais2 kept a     
consul1 who represented the city1 and   
who was presented to ,tamerlane the     
,great in the year #acig1 when he       

returned in triumph from his military   
expedition into ,muscovy and the        
,kipzac1 a country lying east and west  
of the ,caspian ,sea and the river      
,volga4  ,spain at that period had a    
large navy1 and its shipping trade was  
immense4 ,if the account of ,thom ,cano 
in his ',arte de construir ,naves' be   
admitted1 it possessed a thousand       
merchant vessels at a time when the     
,european marine was far less extensive 
than it is at present4  ,to return for a
 moment to the picturesque doorway ,i   
have sketched4 ,its sculpture1 which in 
execution is very good of its kind1 is  
as completely ,renaissance in character 
as its architecture is still ,gothic2 it
 in fact corresponds to ,mudejar work1  
with this difference1 that the admixture
 with the ,gothic in this case is       
,plateresque1 while in the ,mudejar work
 it is ,moorish4  ,illustration3 ,,plate
 #id  ,,barcelona  ,,knocker ,,to ,,old 
,,house ,,calle ,,santa ,,lucia4  ,,mdw 
#ahfi     ,,plate ,,xciv4  ,,barcelona4 

,,knocker ,,of ,,an ,,old ,,house ,,in  
,,the ,,calle ,,santa ,,lucia4   ,,in   
the vicinity of the old church of ,sta4 
,lucia yet exist at ,barcelona several  
interesting stone houses of the         
fifteenth century4 ,upon the doors of   
these are to be still found specimens of
 excellent iron work of the same period4
 ,it is not however to be supposed that 
the ,barcelonese possessed any very     
special gifts in this line1 since       
evidences of almost equal dexterity are 
to be found scattered over the whole    
extent of the ,peninsula4 ,in the north 
and south alike1 the ,rejas1 or vast    
screens1 sometimes of iron only1        
sometimes of brass and bronze1 and      
sometimes of mixed metals1 are yet to be
 found of great importance and interest4
 ,the most famous of the ,rejeros1 as   
they were called1 or makers of ,rejas1  
were ,francesco de ,salamanca who       
flourished in #aecc2 ,christobal ,andino
 of #aedj2 ,francesco de ,vilalpando of 
#aefa2 and ,juan ,bautista ,celma of    

#afjj4 ,because these men's names have  
become household words amongst all      
students of ,spanish ,art1 it should not
 be forgotten that great men to fortune 
and to fame unknown lived before those  
whose good deeds and works encountered  
fitting record4 ,by some of these were  
executed many of the various admirable  
specimens of metal work commented upon  
in terms of high praise by ,ford1       
,street1 ,o',shea and other writers4    
,the finest metal worker who really     
startled his contemporaries by the      
beauty and splendour of his workmanship1
 its elaboracion y prolixedad1 was the  
celebrated ,henrique de ,arf1 gold and  
silversmith of ,leon1 founder of a      
family which for several generations    
supplied artist-workmen in the precious 
metals whose fame rests upon the same   
platform as that of ,cellini and        
,caradosso di ,milano4 ,his principal   
works were1 according to the account    
given to us of them by his grandson     
,juan1 in the ,varia ,commensuracion1   

the custodias 7or ciboria for holding   
the sanctified wafer7 of the ,cathedrals
 of ,leon1 ,cordova1 ,toledo1 and       
,sahagun4 ,of crosses1 paxes1 censers1  
pixes1 feretories1 candelabra1          
monstrances1 lamps1 c41 he scattered    
specimens broadcast throughout ,spain4  
,in all of them he showed1 as his       
descendant declared1 ,el valor de su    
ingenio raro1 con mayor efecto que puede
 escribirse4  ,as the present is the    
last occasion on which1 in this volume  
at least1 ,i may have to speak of       
medival metal work1 and especially iron 
work1 ,i may be allowed to allude very  
briefly to the two principal tools by   
which it was worked1 viz43 the hammer   
and the pliers4 ,in ,england and in     
,france the first was used in preference
 at least to the last2 while in         
,germany1 ,burgundy and the ,low        
,countries1 the last was specially      
affected1 and by its means foliage1 both
 natural and conventional1 was rendered 
with great skill1 facility and taste4   

,the ,spaniards1 as is proved by the    
present sketch1 and that which follows  
it1 were at an early period dexterous in
 the use of both tools2 uniting the     
massive style engendered by the         
predominant use of the hammer with the  
more florid and fanciful manner         
springing out of the light and          
convoluted forms created by a more      
liberal use of the pliers4              
,illustration3 ,,plate #ie  ,,barcelona 
,,knocker ,,to ,,old ,,house ,,in ,,the 
,,calle ,,santa ,,lucia4  ,,mdw #ahfi   
,,plate ,,xcv4  ,,barcelona4  ,,knocker 
,,to ,,an ,,old ,,house ,,in ,,the      
,,calle ,,santa ,,lucia4   ,,in this    
fanciful little object we meet with     
another illustration of the spirit of   
humour as well as of dexterity in their 
craft1 manifested in abundance by the   
excellent old ironworkers of ,spain4    
,still good as the blacksmiths          
unquestionably were1 the triumphs of    
,spanish metal working were chiefly     
embodied in the precious metals4 ,it is 

rather in the cabinets of connoisseurs  
than in the churches of the country that
 specimens should be sought for to      
justify the splendid reputation those   
artist-workmen enjoyed in the palmy days
 of the ,spanish ,court and ,church4    
,everywhere the traveller comes now only
 upon exhausted treasuries and emptied  
sacristies4 ,even since the days of     
,ford's inimitable handbook the spoiler 
has been rampant1 and of the custodias  
and virus1 the blandones and portapaces 
in which he delighted1 so far as my     
perquisitions extended1 scarcely a      
vestige was to be met with4 ,even since 
my sketches were made1 the contents of  
the treasury of ,nuestra ,seora del     
,pilar have been brought to the hammer2 
and the pressure of other engagements   
alone prevented my return to ,saragossa 
empowered to secure a share of those    
artistic curiosities for our ,national  
collection4  ,no doubt many beautiful   
specimens of ,gothic precious metal work
 once adorned the principal medival     

ecclesiastical structures of ,spain1 but
 it was not till a later date that the  
most important and famous works1 other  
than those already noticed 7by ,henrique
 de ,arf17 were produced4 ,a brief      
notice of some of these from the pen of 
a contemporary may not be altogether    
uninteresting4  ,although ,renaissance  
architecture was introduced in ,spain in
 a fully developed form before the      
middle of the sixteenth century1 it was 
never thoroughly understood and adopted1
 we are told by ,juan de ,arphe y       
,villafae1#fa in ecclesiastical plate1  
'until my father1 ,antonio de ,arf1     
began to use it in the ,custodia of     
,santiago in ,galicia and in that of    
,medina de ,rioseco1 and in the portable
 shrine of ,leon4'  ,in all his work he 
evidenced an imperfect knowledge of good
 style1 introducing fanciful columns of 
irregular proportions according to his  
own fancy4 ,juan ,alvarez1 who was a    
native of ,salamanca1 died in the prime 
of his life in the service of ,don      

,carlos of ,austria4 ,for this reason he
 left no evidence of his rare talent in 
any public performance4 ,alonso ,beceril
 obtained reputation in his turn on     
account of having made in his studio the
 ,custodia of ,cuenca4 ,this work       
secured the approbation of every artist 
in ,spain who at that time was really   
learned in ,art4 ,juan de ,orna was an  
excellent plate-worker in ,burgos4 ,juan
 ,rinz1#fb a disciple of my grandfather1
 made the ,custodias of ,jaen1 ,baza1   
and that of ,san ,pablo of ,seville4 ,he
 was the first who used the lathe for   
forming plate in ,spain2 he set the     
fashion for the principal pieces of     
silver services for the table1 and      
instructed workmen throughout           
,andalusia4 ,all the above artists1 and 
others1 began to give elegant shapes to 
the principal objects made in silver and
 gold for the use of the church1 each   
one improving in symmetry and general   
excellence upon the works of his        
predecessors until those types became   

established which ,i am now about to    
describe4  ,juan de ,arphe proceeds1    
after complimenting ,philip ,,ii4 on his
 majestic works at the ,escorial1 to    
give the forms and proportions of the   
five orders1 and their application to   
every variety of silversmith's work1    
recognised as suitable for employment in
 sacred offices and ecclesiastical rites
 and ceremonies in his time4            
,illustration3 ,,plate #if  ,,barcelona4
  ,,old ,,house ,,in ,,the ,,calle ,,de 
,,moncara4  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate     
,,xcvi4  ,,barcelona4  ,,courtyard ,,of 
,,an ,,old ,,house ,,in ,,the ,,calle   
,,de ,,moncara4   ,,in noticing my      
ninety-first sketch ,i took occasion to 
comment on the difference which existed 
between ,spanish and ,catalonian        
architecture1 and ,spanish and          
,catalonian character4 ,both are pressed
 upon one's attention in looking over a 
house which1 like the one ,i have       
sketched in the ,calle de ,moncara at   
,barcelona1 appears to have been the    

comfortable home of a well-to-do        
merchant1 with roomy stores and         
warehouses on the ground floor facing   
the entrance1 domestic offices to the   
left1 and counting-house and living     
rooms on the first floor1 with bedrooms 
above4 ,as is becoming in the house of  
one welcoming alike buyer and seller1 we
 find a total absence of that almost    
,asiatic privacy which the ,spaniards   
generally1 and especially the           
,andalusians1 appear in their homes to  
have adopted from ,moorish models4      
,under the old ,counts of ,barcelona the
 architecture of the city had no doubt  
been mainly ,french4 ,after the         
annexation of the city to the crown of  
,aragon1 the architecture became        
tinctured with detail corresponding with
 much yet to be seen at ,saragossa and  
elsewhere in ,aragon1 and finally after 
the consolidation of the whole monarchy 
by the marriage of ,ferdinand and       
,isabella1 and the expulsion of the     
,moors1 ,barcelonese architecture fell  

under the ,plateresque revival and the  
subsequent ,greco-,roman mania which    
affected all ,spain4 ,the date of       
erection of the house of which ,i now   
give a sketch1 appears to have brought  
it under the second of these two sets of
 conditions4 ,in the twisted column1 its
 cap and base1 and some other features1 
we may recognise the ,aragonese style1  
while in the staircase and some of the  
windows there is to be traced1 ,i       
consider1 a decided ,french influence4  
,in spite of legislative assimilation1  
the ,catalonians have never been able to
 cordially adopt a ,spanish nationality4
 ,they have never warmly responded to   
the caresses of their monarchs4 ,even as
 late as #ahjb1 when ,charles ,,iv4 paid
 a visit to ,barcelona with the infamous
 ,godoy1 and a retinue like an army1 and
 drew some eighty thousand strangers to 
the city1 a visitor in the following    
year records that the ,catalans felt a  
generous pride in observing that no     
accident or quarrel occurred on that    

occasion1 and no life was lost1         
notwithstanding the enmity subsisting   
between them and the ,spaniards4#fc     
,whittaker further illustrates this     
mutual jealousy and spiteful feeling by 
the following characteristic            
anecdote3--,this enmity1 he says1 is    
carried to such a height that when it   
was proposed to strike a medal in honour
 of the ,king's visit1 the ,academy of  
,arts of ,st4 ,fernando1 at ,madrid1    
were requested to superintend the       
execution2 but this body1 actuated by a 
most illiberal and unworthy spirit1     
endeavoured to excuse themselves1 and   
made every possible delay1 which so     
enraged the ,catalans1 that they        
withdrew the business from their hands1 
and trusted it to their own academy4    
,the medal was produced in a month1 and 
remains a record rather of their loyal  
zeal1 than of their ability in the fine 
arts4  ,illustration3 ,,plate #ig       
,,calle ,,de ,,moncara4  ,,mdw #ahfi    
,,plate ,,xcvii4  ,,barcelona4          

,,staircase ,,of ,,an ,,old ,,house ,,in
 ,,the ,,calle ,,de ,,moncara4   ,i ,,am
 induced to give this one little        
specimen of what the ,spaniards call    
,churriguerismo for these reasons3      
#astly1 because it is a prettier example
 than usual of the style practised early
 in the eighteenth century by the       
fashionable ,jos ,churriguerra--the     
,william ,kent of ,spanish architecture2
 #bndly1 because it affords a good      
specimen of the comfortable house of a  
rich ,barcelonese merchant of the last  
century2 and #crdly1 on account of the  
singular arrangement of the jointing of 
the masonry1 which converts the         
apparently double arch into very little 
else than one tolerably stable spanning 
of the whole space4  ,in describing my  
eighty-fifth sketch ,i alluded to the   
fact that the trade of ,spain gradually 
fell into the hands mainly of           
foreigners1 and especially at first of  
the ,genoese1 the difference between    
them and the native ,spanish merchant   

being that while the former were crafty1
 industrious and dishonest1 the latter  
were stupid and lazy1 but 7except in the
 matter of smuggling7 strictly honest4  
,plenty of witness is borne by different
 writers to both facts4 ,quevedo1 for   
instance1 abounds in hits at the        
,genoese and other ,italians4 ,give an  
,italian to the ,devil1 he says in his  
,el ,alguazil ,endemoniado1 and the old 
gentleman won't try to take him1 for an 
,italian would take away the ,devil     
himself4#fd ,elsewhere in the same      
satire he cautions his readers telling  
them that they are bound to know that in
 ,spain the mysteries of the accounts of
 the ,genoese are disastrous for the    
millions that come from the ,indies1 and
 that the cannons of their pens are     
batteries for purses4 ,there are no     
incomes which1 if they once get into the
 strokes of their pens1 and the         
inkholders of their inkstands1 escape   
without drowning4#fe  ,the poco-curante 
honesty of the ,spaniard on the other   

hand1 7the poco-curanteeism at least an 
inheritance from the ,east17 kept       
business in his hands which1 but for his
 reliability1 ought according to every  
recognised law of probability in trade1 
to have left him before it did4         
,laborde1 a writer by no means inclined 
to take too favourable a view of the    
national character1 confesses that      
,spanish probity is proverbial1 and that
 it conspicuously shines in commercial  
relations4 ,good faith and punctuality  
are generally prevalent among merchants1
 the instances of deception1 negligence1
 fraudulent dealing and non-fulfilment  
of engagements1 so general in the       
trading world1 being unknown to and not 
practised amongst them4 ,as an          
illustration1 ,laborde mentions some    
coined silver sent home in the year     
#afed1 which was paid away by the       
,spanish merchants1 and was subsequently
 discovered to have been debased4 ,not  
only were the ,spanish merchants eager  
to make good the loss to those who had  

dealt with them1 but having discovered  
the culprit they obtained his           
conviction1 and the wretched man was    
publicly burnt alive4 ,in spite of      
honesty1 however1 trade and commerce    
will not thrive in any country in which 
they are looked upon as degrading4 ,a   
,catalonian might work1 since he was but
 half a ,spaniard4 ,a ,castilian1       
however1 was quite willing to pay any   
one who would work for him1 and as with 
his increase of wealth his wants became 
more and more artificial and luxurious1 
the swarms of foreigners he harboured   
about him to do his bidding1 increased  
to an unprecedented extent4 ,the        
,countess ,d',aulnois gives a capital   
account of the state of things in this  
respect in her time 7circ #afgi74       
,spain1 she says1#ff cannot well be     
without commerce with ,france1 not only 
on the frontiers of ,biscai and         
,arragon1 where it hath been almost ever
 permitted1 but through the whole       
country where it is prohibited1 for     

,provence hath ever had correspondencies
 in the kingdom of ,valentia1 by its    
necessity of the others commodities2 and
 for the same reason ,britaign1         
,normandy1 and other parts on the ocean 
have continually sent theirs to ,cadiz  
and ,bilbo4 ,i speak not of corn and    
stuffs of all sorts brought from that   
country1 but even of ironwork and       
swords2 by which it appears a mistake to
 think that in these dayes the best come
 of ,spain4 ,no more being now made at  
,toledo1 few but forrain are used1      
unless a very small quantity that come  
from ,biscai1 which are excessively     
dear4  ,it is1 moreover1 hard to imagine
 how much ,spain suffers for want of    
manufactures4 ,so few artificers remain 
in its towns1 that native commodities   
are carried abroad to be wrought in     
forrain countries4 ,wools and silks are 
transported raw1 and being spun and     
weaved in ,england1 ,france1 and        
,holland1 return thither at dear rates4 
,the land itself is not tilled by the   

people it feeds4 ,in seed time1 harvest1
 and vintage1 husbandmen come from      
,bearn and other parts of ,france1 who  
get a great deal of money by sowing and 
reaping their corn1 and dressing and    
cutting their vines4 ,carpenters and    
masons are 7for the most part7 also     
strangers1 who will be paid treble what 
they can get in their own country4 ,in  
,madrid there is hardly a waterbearer   
that is not a foreigner1 such are also  
the greatest part of shoomakers and     
taylors1 and it is believed the third of
 these come only to get a little money  
and afterwards return home2 but none    
thrive so much as architects1 masons1   
and carpenters4 ,almost every house hath
 wooden windows 7here being no glass71  
and a balcony jutting into the street4  
,illustration3 ,,plate #ih  ,,gerona    
,,old ,,house ,,near ,,the ,,estrella   
,,de ,,oro4  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate    
,,xcviii4  ,,gerona4  ,,old ,,house     
,,near ,,the ,,estrella ,,de ,,oro4     
,,if my last sketch illustrated the     

regular rich merchant's house of the    
eighteenth century--symbol of peace and 
plenty1 police and protection--the kind 
of residence ,i now submit to the       
reader's attention is cast in quite a   
different key4 ,it is essentially a     
fighter's house1 the only kind of       
structure in which 7before the use of   
gunpowder7 a family could hold its own  
for months of foreign siege or          
protracted street fighting4 ,gerona has 
always been1 as we shall have occasion  
to recognize in examining its fine old  
walls1 almost a frontier city1 struggled
 for repeatedly by ,christian and by    
,moor4 ,the house ,i have sketched is   
one of the earliest and most complete of
 its class ,i have ever seen1 the lower 
half alone having been materially       
altered from its original construction4 
,it dates in all probability from the   
middle of the twelfth century1 and yet  
stands strong and stalwart in a quarter 
of the city in which very little of     
anything not comparatively of yesterday 

meets the wandering visitor's eye4 ,on  
comparing this sketch with that from a  
house at ,barcelona 7,no4 #if7 erected  
at least three hundred years later1 it  
will be found that the type furnished by
 the earliest in date had changed but   
little in the interval4 ,hence we may   
fairly infer that the conditions of     
insecurity affecting domestic life had  
scarcely varied in ,catalonia during the
 whole of that term4 ,in fact1 it was   
not until the invention of printing     
spread abroad the elements of education1
 and brought about changes in social    
systems1 that men began to dream of     
peace and security ensured by other     
preservatives from danger than heavy    
armour and fortress-like houses4        
,illustration3 ,,plate #ii  ,,gerona4   
,,upper ,,part ,,of ,,old ,,house4      
,,near ,,saint ,,felix  ,,mdw #ahfi     
,,plate ,,xcix4  ,,gerona4  ,,upper     
,,part ,,of ,,old ,,house ,,and ,,spire 
,,of ,,the ,,church ,,of ,,san ,,feliu4 
,,the west front of the ,cathedral at   

,gerona stands at the top of a noble    
flight of eighty-six steps1 and these   
ascended1 platforms are reached on the  
west and south of the splendid pile from
 which fine views over the city and its 
environs are obtained4 ,the sketch now  
under notice was taken from the southern
 platform1 the wall enclosing which upon
 the west cuts off something like thirty
 feet in height of the fine old house   
which forms the principal object in the 
sketch4 ,its uppermost story1 with its  
continuous arcade1 has a symmetrical and
 agreeable effect1 and appears to have  
been the only portion of the building   
really suitable for habitation according
 to modern views as to the value of     
abundant light and air4 ,on the right is
 seen the cathedral well1 the waters of 
which have no doubt alike served for the
 bodily and spiritual ablutions of      
,mahommedan and ,christian1 since       
cathedral1 mosque1 and then again       
cathedral1 have existed in turn upon the
 same site from the days of ,charlemagne

 to the present time4 ,during the       
,moorish occupation in the eighth       
century the ,christians were permitted  
to worship in the original church of    
,san ,feliu 7,felix7 the truncated spire
 of the successor to which appears in my
 sketch between the old house1 and the  
south-west angle of the cathedral1 shown
 on the extreme right4 ,the present     
church1 dedicated to ,san ,feliu1 dates 
probably from the early part of the     
fourteenth century4 ,its history has    
been clearly traced by ,mr4 ,street from
 a comparison of the building with the  
particulars given and documents quoted  
in the ,espaa ,sagrada4 ,the steeple is 
said to have been finished in #acib4    
,pedro ,zacoma having acted as architect
 as late as ,a4,d4 #acgf4 ,it was struck
 by lightning in the year #aeha1 and has
 remained ever since shorn of its fair  
proportions1 as we now see it4  ,san    
,feliu1 as he is popularly called1 was  
an early ,spanish ,christian1 deacon to 
,san ,narciso1 the ,martyr1 ,protector  

and ,generalissimo of the ,see of       
,gerona4  ,illustration3 ,,plate #ajj   
,,gerona ,,old ,,walls ,,near ,,san     
,,pedro  ,,mdw #ahfi     ,,plate ,c4    
,,gerona4  ,,old ,,walls ,,near ,,the   
,,monastery ,,of ,,san ,,pedro4   ,,from
 the date at least on which ,charlemagne
 captured ,gerona from the ,moors1 it   
has been a victim to the horrors of war2
 manned through all history1 and under  
every circumstance of siege and         
occupation1 by men and women of the     
sternest courage and determination it   
has been held with the utmost tenacity1 
as really even more than ,figueras 7the 
actual frontier town71 the key to the   
easiest line of advance from ,france    
into ,spain4 ,hence the strength and    
interest of its fine old walls1 which in
 spite of every ancient and modern      
vicissitude1 still retain more curious  
features of middle age defence than1 to 
the best of my belief1 any other city of
 ,spain1 with the exception of ,avila4  
,as will be seen from my sketch1 the    

apse of the fine old ,romanesque church 
of ,san ,pedro1 which actually forms a  
bulwark1 has been raised so as to bring 
it into practical fighting order2 and   
the covered galleries for marksmen1 with
 bow and cross bow1 matchlock and       
firelock1 still extend from it to the   
north and to the south in easily to be  
recognised1 and still fairly complete1  
galleries of well-sheltered             
communication4 ,the present aspect of   
the north of ,gerona forms a fair       
pendant to the description ,charles     
,didier gives of its sister fortress to 
the side of ,france1 ,figueras4 ,he     
says1 ,tout a un air d'abandon et de    
dsolation2 les casernes sont            
magnifiques1 mais dsertes2 les casemates
 spacieuses1 mais vides2 les longues    
herbes de la solitude croissent partout1
 et la seule partie des btiments qui    
soit aujourd'hui de premire ncessit1    
l'infirmerie1 n'est point termine2 les  
pierres  moiti tailles jonchent le sol  
et sont couvertes de mousse4 ,j'errai   

longtemps seul dans ce silencieux dsert 
sans rencontrer personne2 de loin en    
loin seulement1 j'apercevais quelque    
sentinelle perdue  la pointe d'une      
demi-lune et nonchalamment appuye contre
 les canons et les mortiers2 de gros    
rats rongeaient en paix les affuts2 ils 
se sont si bien empars du lieu1 que mon 
approche les drangeait  peine2 je       
n'avais pas fait trois pas1 qu'ils se   
remettaient  l'oeuvre4 ,voil sous quels 
traits l',espagne apparat au voyageur   
qui vient de ,france1 triste et         
frappante image d'une chute sans exemple
 et d'une misre sans terme4#fg  ,one    
would have preferred receiving from any 
other than a ,frenchman so dreary a     
picture of the desolation mainly wrought
 by ,frenchmen4 ,returning to ,gerona1  
to which ,didier's description applies  
7as ,i have already stated7 nearly as   
well as to ,figueras1 in sight of which 
he may have written it1 we shall find   
,mr4 ,street no less strongly impressed 
than ,i was with what ,spain owes to    

,france in the matter4 ,all this havoc  
and ruin is owing1 he says1 like so much
 that one sees in ,spain1 to the action 
of the ,french troops during the        
,peninsular ,war4 ,it is however but    
just to the ,french to add that the     
,spaniards are not1 like them1 endowed  
with wonderful recuperative energy4     
,,footnotes3  #a ,von ,p4 ,l4           
,berckenmeyern4 ,hamburg1 #agca4  #b    
,the ,frenchman like an eagle4 ,the     
,german like a bear4 ,the ,italian like 
a fox4 ,the ,spaniard like an elephant4 
,the ,englishman like a lion4  #c       
,waring 7,john ,burley7 ,architectural1 
,sculptural1 and ,picturesque ,studies  
of ,burgos and its neighbourhood4       
,folio4 ,london4 #ahea4  #d ,examples of
 ,architectural ,art in ,italy and      
,spain4 ,folio4 ,london4 #ahej4  #e     
,viaggio in ,spagna1 quoted by ,o',shea1
 page #dih4  #f ,examples of ,ornamental
 ,heraldry of the sixteenth century4    
,london1 #ahfg4 ,privately printed4  #g 
,given at length under the ,no4 ,,xxxv  

in the ,appendix to the ,first ,volume  
of the ,noticias de los ,arquitectos y  
,architectura de ,espaa1 c41 por ,seor  
,d4 ,eugenio ,llaguno y ,amirola1 c4    
,madrid1 #ahbi4  #h ,carefully          
illustrated geometrically in the        
,monumentos ,arquitectonicos4 ,madrid4  
,folio4  #i ,see3 ,historia de las      
ordenes ,militares de ,s4 ,iago1 por ,f4
 ,caro de ,torres4 ,madrid1 #afbi4      
,folio4  #aj ,o',shea4 ,page #bcf4  #aa 
,ingenious and diverting letters of ,a  
,lady's ,travels into ,spain1 ,london1  
#agbj1 ,vol4 ,i1 page #cjh4  #ab ,see   
,colmenar's description of the condition
 of the ,university in #agae4  #ac      
,london #agga1 ,vol4 ,,ii41 page #bd4   
#ad ,there is much in this very town of 
,avila in the beautiful old church of   
,san ,vicente4  #ae ,catlogo de la ,real
 ,armeria--siendo ,director ,general1   
c4--el ,s4 ,d4 ,jos ,maria              
,marchesi--,madrid1 #ahdi1 pages        
#ahh-hi4  #af ,les ,dlices de l',espagne
 et du ,portugal--,leide chez ,pierre   

van der ,aa1 #agjf4  #ag ,see the true  
and topographical views given in the    
above work1 and the artistic and        
considerably embellished one by ,david  
,roberts in ,jennings' ,landscape       
,annual for #ahcg4  #ah ,documentos1    
,vol4 ,i4 of the ,noticias ,appendix    
,no4 ,,xxxviii4  #ai ,printed at ,alcala
 in #aead-ae in #f vols4 folio4  #bj    
,espaa ,artistica y monumental de ,villa
 ,amil y ,escosura1 ,vol4 ,i4 page #hb4 
#ba ,tome ,i41 page #bbb4 ,bruxelles1   
#ahcg4  #bb ,the greater part of the    
above facts are verified by the         
inscription which was placed upon the   
bridge by ,alonzo the ,wise1 in #abeb1  
and the original of which is given by   
,cean ,bermudez in his ,documentos ,vol4
 ,i4 ,number ,,xxiv4  #bc ,noticias de  
los ,arquitectos1 c4 ,par ,amirola y    
,bermudez1 ,madrid1 #ahbi4 ,vol4 ,i4    
page #da4  #bd ,noticias c4 ,vol4 ,i4   
page #gi4  #be ,a ,journey to ,mequinez4
 ,london1 ,jacob ,tonson1 #agbe4  #bf   
,probably a son of the great ,henrique  

de ,egas1 who died in #aecd4  #bg       
,o',shea states 7page #daj7 that the    
,infante ,don ,fernando1 uncle of ,juan 
,,ii41 lodged in it in #adjg4  #bh ,in  
the ,street of the ,abbots1 all have    
uncles none fathers4  #bi ,the          
,cathedral ,canons have no sons1 those  
they keep at home are little nephews4   
#cj ,a ,year's ,journey through ,france 
and ,part of ,spain1 by ,philip         
,thicknesse4 ,bath1 #aggg4 ,vol4 ,i4    
pages #bfj-a4  #ca ,in his amusing ,tra 
los ,montes4 ,bruxelles1 #ahdc4 ,vol4   
,,ii4 page #dd4  #cb ,neu-vermehrter    
,curieuser ,antiquarius4 ,hamburgh4     
#agca4  #cc ,travels through ,spain in  
the year #agge and #aggf1 in which      
several monuments of ,roman and ,moorish
 architecture are illustrated by        
accurate drawings taken on the spot by  
,henry ,swinburne1 ,esq4 ,london4 #dto4 
#aggi4  #cd ,o',shea adds the name of   
,cayon to that of ,acero1 describing the
 two as descending from the ,salamanca  
school1 founded by ,churriguera and     

,tom4  #ce ,there is a little           
discrepancy between ,ford's and         
,o',shea's accounts1 the former says    
that it was given by the ,republic of   
,genoa to ,charles ,v41 the latter gives
 the facts as ,i have stated them4  ,a  
,miguel ,maara ,vicentelo de ,leca      
7#afbg-afgi74 ,note of etext            
transcriber4  #cf ,see1 especially for  
,spain1 his ,monuments ,arabes et       
,moresques de ,cordoue1 ,sville et      
,grenade4 ,paris1 #ahcb-c1 and its      
continuation--,monuments ,arabes        
d',egypte de ,syrie et d',asie ,mineure1
 #ahdb-e1 ,paris4 ,the above are        
essentially pictorial works1 but in his 
,essai sur l',architecture des ,arabes  
et des ,maures1 c41 ,paris1 #ahda1 he   
has discussed the whole subject         
historically with much ability4  #cg    
,plan section and elevation of the outer
 side of this ,gateway1 to a large      
scale1 will be found on ,plate ,,ii4 of 
,owen ,jones's great work on the        
,alhambra4 ,i sketched the interior of  

this ,gateway1 mainly because that was  
the only part of it which he had not    
given4  #ch ,a pretty coloured view from
 this very point will be found in ,m4   
,girault de ,prangey's ,choix           
d',ornements moresques de l',alhambra1  
,paris1 #ahdb4 ,plate ,no4 #c4  #ci ,an 
alabaster fountain probably occupied the
 centre of the ,sala de ,embajadores4   
#dj ,it is but just to ,seor ,contrras  
to remark that the ,poet's picture was  
sketched before the date of his         
admirable conservatorship4 ,he is a true
 artist1 and has done wonders in the way
 of restoration1 completing and as      
little as possible interfering with the 
marvellous picturesque character of the 
noble old ,palace4  #da ,calcutta1      
#ahba4  #db ,a ,journey to ,mequinez1   
the residence of the present ,emperor of
 ,fez and ,morocco1 on the occasion of  
,commodore ,stewart's ,embassy thither  
for the redemption of the ,british      
,captives in the year #agaa4 ,london1   
,jacob ,tonson4 #agbe4 ,a very          

interesting old book1 the descriptions  
in which carry the mind forcibly back to
 the ,moorish occupation of ,spain4  #dc
 ,for full information on the ,glass of 
the ,romans1 the ,byzantine-,greeks1 and
 the ,arabs1 of ,damascus especially1   
see ,mr4 ,augustus ,franks' account in  
,mr4 ,j4 ,b4 ,waring's beautiful work on
 the ,manchester ,exhibition1 ,mr4      
,alexander ,nesbitt's ,historical       
,notice ,introductory to the ,catalogue 
of ,mr4 ,felix ,slade's collection1 ,m4 
,bontemps' ,guide du ,verrier1 and ,m4  
,labarte's ,histoire des ,arts          
,industriels au moyen-ge et  l',epoque  
de la ,renaissance4  #dd ,of course     
alluding to the ceiling1 which is even  
more beautiful in the same style1 than  
that of the ,hall of the ,abencerrages1 
which1 my colleague1 ,mr4 ,owen ,jones  
so perfectly reproduced in the ,crystal 
,palace at ,sydenham4  #de ,the ,kiblah 
is the point in the horizon towards     
which ,mahommedans turn in their prayers
 marking the place where ,mecca stands4 

,the ,mihrab is the enclosure before the
 ,kiblah4  #df ,see ,mr4 ,j4 ,b4        
,waring's masterly sketches of the      
details of these works of art4  #dg ,who
 also states that in his time the       
drawings of the design by ,diego ,siloe 
were yet extant1 ,noticias de los       
,arquitectos y ,arquitectura de ,espaa4 
,madrid4 #ahbi4 ,vol4 ,i4 page #aii4    
#dh ,history of the ,modern ,styles of  
,architecture1 by ,james ,fergusson4    
,london4 #ahfb4 page #ace4  #di ,mr4    
,street in referring to the usual       
practice in good medival iron screens   
observes that in such the ornament is   
reserved for open traceried crestings1  
with bent and sharply cut crockets1 for 
traceried rails1 and for the locks and  
fastenings4 ,he mentions a very fine    
iron screen1 thirty feet high1 as       
existing at ,pamplona1 the general      
design of which seems to have a good    
deal in common with that of the ,reja de
 los ,reyes at ,granada4 ,it appears1   
however1 to be of earlier date1 and     

consequently more decidedly ,gothic in  
character4  #ej ,varia ,commensuracion4 
,sixth ,edition1 pages #bba-bbb4  #ea   
,casts of these sculptures ,i caused to 
be placed in the surbase of the         
,renaissance ,court of the ,crystal     
,palace4  #eb ,viage de ,espaa4 ,vol4   
,,xv4 page #gi4  #ec ,gothic            
,architecture in ,spain1 page #bgj4  #ed
 ,marcos ,obregon por el ,maestro       
,vicente ,espinel4 ,madrid4 #ahjd4      
,pages #dj-da4 7note of etext           
transcriber3 sagon should read razn47   
#ee ,history of the ,reign of ,ferdinand
 and ,isabella the ,catholic4 ,new      
,york4 #ahde4 ,page cxi4  #ef           
,navagiero--,il ,viaggio fatto in       
,spagna4 ,venice4 #aefc4 ,page #c4  #eg 
,recuerdos y ,bellezas de ,espaa1 por   
,f4 ,j4 ,parcerisa escrita y            
documentada1 por ,p4 ,piferrer y ,j4 ,pi
 y ,margall4 ,catalua4 ,tome ,,ii41 page
 #bbb4  #eh ,travels through ,spain and 
,part of ,portugal4 ,sherwood           
,collection4 ,london1 #ahah1 page #bha4 

#ei ,ponz1 ,antonio1 ,viage de ,espaa4  
,third ,edition4 ,madrid4 #aghg4 ,vol4  
,i4 page #ed4  #fj ,a ,view of ,spain4  
,translated from the ,french of         
,alexandre de ,laborde4 ,london1 #ahji4 
,vol4 ,,iv41 pp4 #cga-c4  #fa ,even     
better known as ,el ,vandolino4  #fb    
,varia ,commensuracion para la escultura
 y ,arquitectura1 sexta impresion4      
,madrid1 #aggc4 ,page #bbb4  #fc        
,travels through ,spain and ,part of    
,portugal1 by the ,rev4 ,g4 ,d4         
,whittaker in #ahjc4 ,sherwood's        
,collection1 ,london1 #ahac1 page #bgi4 
#fd ,days al ,diablo un ,italiano1 y no 
le toma el ,diablo1 por que ay ,italiano
 que tomara al ,diablo4  #fe ,y haveys  
de saber que en ,espaa los misterios de 
las cuentas de los ,ginoveses1 son      
dolorosos para los millones que vienen  
de las ,indias1 y que los caones de sus 
plumas son de bateria contra las bolsas1
 y no ay renta que si la cogen en medio 
el tajo de sus plumas1 y el jarama de su
 tinta no la ahoguen4 7,the reader will 

observe the double meaning which points 
,quevedo's sarcasm--caones express at   
the same time quills and                
cannons47--,sueos y ,discursos por ,don 
,francisco de ,quevedo ,villegas        
,zaragoza4 #afbg4 ,page #ai4  #ff       
,letter of a ,lady's ,travels into      
,spain4 ,london4 ,ninth ,edition4  #fg  
,une ,anne en ,espagne1 par ,charles    
,didier4 #ahcg4  99 ,this should read3  
,cuntos monumentos como el que acabamos 
de examinar dejarmos nosotros en        
herencia  nuestros nietos8 7note of     
etext transcriber47  ,etext transcriber 
note3  ,vicente ,acera was corrected to 
,vicente ,acero  ,the name of the city  
,alcal 7acute accent7 de ,henares is    
very often printed ,,alcala ,,de        
,,he,,ares4 7tilde on the ,n7  ,duque is
 consistently printed ,duqu 7acute      
accent7  ,guadalajara and ,guadalaxara  
are used  ,mih-rb 7grave accent7 and    
,mih-rb 7acute accent7 are used  ,bosque
 7forest_/woods7 is printed bosqu 7acute
 accent7