Museo del Romanticismo

Mus

eo d

el

Rom

antic

ismo

Itine

rary

The

Mus

eo d

el R

oman

ticism

o, th

e cu

ltura

l and

pol

itica

l m

ovem

ent

that

rea

ched

its

pea

k in

the

ear

ly 1

9th

C.

and

signi

fied

a ne

w v

iew

of

the

wor

ld, i

s ho

used

in a

ne

w-c

lass

ical

man

sion

built

in 1

776,

und

er th

e di

rect

ion

of th

e ar

chite

ct M

anue

l Rod

rígu

ez.

Its

foun

der,

Beni

gno

Vega

-Inc

lán

(Val

lado

lid

1858

-Mad

rid

1942

), c

arri

ed o

ut n

umer

ous

cultu

ral

proj

ects

, an

d in

192

4,

with

the

supp

ort o

f suc

h le

adin

g in

telle

ctua

ls as

Jos

é O

rteg

a y

Gas

set,

he o

pene

d th

e M

useo

Rom

ántic

o, in

itial

ly d

ispla

ying

his

pers

onal

col

lect

ion,

whi

ch in

clud

ed n

ot o

nly

pain

ting

but

also

fu

rnitu

re a

nd d

ecor

ativ

e ite

ms.

The

rec

ent

reno

vatio

n ha

s en

com

pass

ed b

oth

the

build

ing

and

the

exhi

bitio

n pr

ojec

t, in

clud

ing

the

inte

rior

itin

erar

ies,

the

se

rvic

es, a

nd e

ven

the

nam

e to

the

Mus

eo d

el R

oman

ticism

o,

to u

nder

line

its r

oles

as a

pla

ce fo

r pu

blic

enj

oym

ent d

edic

ated

to

the

com

preh

ensiv

e ap

prec

iatio

n of

an

era,

by

mea

ns o

f new

hi

stor

iogr

aphi

cal a

nd m

useo

logi

cal a

ppro

ache

s.

As a

mus

eum

-man

sion

it in

vite

s the

visi

tor t

o le

arn

abou

t asp

ects

of

a s

ocie

ty a

nd o

f the

Rom

antic

per

iod

–whi

ch in

Spa

in c

oin-

cide

d w

ith t

he r

eign

of

Isab

el I

I (1

833-

1868

)– w

hile

sho

win

g de

tails

of e

very

day

life

in th

e pe

riod

: tas

tes;

dec

orat

ive

tren

ds,

fash

ion,

bel

iefs

, soc

ial h

iera

rchi

es, r

ecre

atio

n, t

echn

olog

y, e

tc.

The

exh

ibiti

on o

ffers

seve

ral l

ayer

s of i

nfor

mat

ion

via

two

basic

to

urs,

one

gea

red

to th

emat

ic cr

iteri

a, a

nd fo

cusin

g on

hist

oric

al

and

polit

ical

issu

es a

s w

ell a

s ar

t, an

d th

e ot

her

exam

inin

g th

e at

mos

pher

e of t

he p

erio

d, a

s exe

mpl

ified

by

deco

ratio

n an

d sig

ns

of d

aily

life

.

The

Mus

eo

del R

oman

ticism

o

ITIN

ERA

RY

T he

ves

tibul

e is

the

entr

ance

hal

l to

the

finer

par

ts o

f the

hou

se. A

s the

fir

st s

pace

see

n by

the

visi

tor,

it is

in

tend

ed to

sum

mar

ise so

me

of th

e in

nova

-tio

ns a

nd fe

atur

es o

f the

Isab

ellin

e ho

me,

as

dist

inct

from

thos

e of

the

prev

ious

Fer

nan-

dine

era

. It w

as m

ore

dens

ely

furn

ished

and

deco

rate

d, a

nd a

lso “s

ofte

ned”

by

the

abun

-da

nce

of c

ushi

oned

furn

iture

and

fabr

ics.

It

feat

ured

an

ecle

ctic

ism t

hat

drew

indi

scri

-m

inat

ely

on o

lder

styl

es, f

orei

gn it

ems,

and

a di

vers

ity o

f aes

thet

ic tr

ends

.

The

hom

e w

as a

lso a

pla

ce fo

r re

crea

tion,

co

nver

satio

n, g

ossip

, m

usic

, an

d th

e co

m-

plex

ritu

als o

f for

mal

visi

ts. T

he d

ecor

atio

n of

thi

s ar

ea is

sob

er a

nd t

he f

urni

shin

gs in

clud

e m

any

piec

es t

hat

are

char

acte

rist

ic o

f th

e R

oman

tic p

erio

d: t

he c

hair

s, t

he p

edes

tal

tabl

e,

pend

ulum

clo

ck, e

tc.

From

the

the

mat

ic v

iew

poin

t th

ere

is an

exp

lana

tion

of t

he p

robl

ems

arisi

ng o

ver

the

righ

ts o

f su

cces

sion

of I

sabe

l II,

who

was

onl

y th

ree

year

s ol

d at

the

dea

th o

f her

fath

er,

Kin

g Fe

rnan

do V

II, in

183

3, a

nd

who

beg

an h

er r

eign

und

er t

he r

egen

cy o

f her

mot

her,

Que

en M

aría

C

rist

ina.

To

mak

e th

is po

ssib

le,

the

late

kin

g ha

d nu

llifie

d th

e Sa

lic

law

, whi

ch b

anne

d su

cces

sion

to th

e th

rone

by

wom

en. B

ut c

ontr

over

-sy

ove

r th

e su

cces

sion

set o

ff th

e so

-cal

led

Car

list W

ars,

wag

ed b

y th

e su

ppor

ters

of

the

Kin

g Fe

rnan

do’s

bro

ther

Car

los

Mar

ía I

sidro

, w

ho

also

cla

imed

the

thro

ne.

IT

he V

estib

ule

In th

e en

tran

ce h

all i

s the

stai

rcas

e le

adin

g to

mai

n su

ite o

f the

bui

l-di

ng, w

ith a

cen

tral

pla

tform

whe

re th

e m

usic

ians

onc

e pl

ayed

du-

ring

form

al so

irée

s.

The

man

sion

was

a se

para

te w

orld

forb

idde

n to

all

but a

sele

ct fe

w, a

nd

ador

ned

with

sym

bols

of p

ower

and

wea

lth:

obje

cts,

furn

ishin

gs,

and

deco

ratio

n w

ere

all f

or s

how

. an

d w

ere

dens

ely

arra

nged

, w

ith li

ttle

ro

om b

etw

een

them

.

On

both

sid

es o

f the

sta

irca

se w

e ar

e w

elco

med

by

the

key

play

ers

in

this

stor

y: t

he n

ouve

au r

iche

, po

rtra

yed

in t

wo

impo

sing

life-

size

por-

trai

ts p

aint

ed b

y th

e C

ádiz

-bor

n Á

ngel

Mar

ía C

orte

llini

, in

whi

ch w

e gl

imps

e la

vish

inte

rior

s, n

ot u

nlik

e th

ose

we

can

adm

ire

in th

e M

useu

m

itsel

f. In

the

ir e

ager

ness

to

mim

ic t

he n

obili

ty,

show

off

thei

r w

ealth

, an

d be

com

e a

new

elit

e, th

e bo

urge

oisie

beg

an to

com

miss

ion

port

raits

an

d to

col

lect

art

to a

dorn

thei

r man

sions

, hig

hlig

ht th

eir s

ocia

l dist

inc-

tion,

and

cul

tivat

e th

eir

tast

es.

T

he S

tair

case

IIIT

he A

nter

oom

The

fir

st a

nter

oom

adj

oins

the

Gre

at B

allr

oom

and

is

lavi

shly

de

cora

ted.

The

impr

essiv

e pa

inte

d ce

iling

was

also

take

n fr

om

the

Casin

o th

e la

Rei

na a

nd r

epre

sent

s an

Alle

gory

of N

ight

.

The

fur

nitu

re i

s in

Fer

nand

ine

styl

e, d

eriv

ed f

rom

Fre

nch

Empi

re,

whi

ch a

rriv

ed la

te to

Spa

in b

ecau

se o

f the

War

of I

ndep

ende

nce.

Out

s-ta

ndin

g is

the

diva

n w

ith e

lega

nt l

ines

, co

mpl

emen

ted

by t

he c

hair

s w

ith c

ircu

lar

seat

s an

d le

gs e

ndin

g in

lion

’s c

law

s –s

ymbo

l of p

ower

– an

d th

e ge

ntle

man

’s d

ress

ing

tabl

e of

mah

ogan

y. T

he im

port

ance

of

mus

ic a

t so

cial

gat

heri

ngs

in t

he R

oman

tic p

erio

d is

indi

cate

d by

the

ch

arm

ing

pian

o of

rose

wo-

od m

arqu

etry

, w

hich

won

a

priz

e at

the

Pari

s Ex

hibi

-tio

n of

184

4.

The

mat

ical

ly,

this

room

se

rves

to

expo

und

the

his-

tori

cal

and

polit

ical

ant

e-ce

dent

s of S

pani

sh R

oman

-tic

ism, a

nd p

artic

ular

ly th

e W

ar o

f Ind

epen

denc

e, t

he

Con

stitu

tion

of 1

812,

and

th

e Fe

rnan

do V

II’s r

esto

ra-

tion

of a

bsol

ute

mon

arch

y in

181

4.

IIT

he A

ntec

ham

ber

The

ant

echa

mbe

r is

“the

mir

ror

of t

he h

ouse

”, i

nsof

ar a

s it

is in

tend

ed to

info

rm th

e vi

sitor

of t

he h

igh

soci

al a

nd e

cono

mic

st

andi

ng o

f the

ow

ners

. T

he p

aint

ed c

eilin

g, d

esig

ned

to r

es-

embl

e th

at o

f an

orie

ntal

pav

ilion

, w

as b

roug

ht fr

om t

he C

asin

o de

la

Rein

a, a

man

sion

whi

ch th

e C

ity o

f Mad

rid

had

give

n to

Que

en Is

abel

de

Bra

ganz

a, F

erna

ndo’

s se

cond

w

ife, w

ho d

ied

in 1

818.

The

mat

ical

ly,

this

room

now

fo-

cuse

s on

the

mat

urity

of I

sabe

l II.

The

re is

an o

utst

andi

ng p

ortr

ait o

f th

e qu

een

by C

harl

es P

orio

n, w

ho

port

raye

d he

r as c

hief

of t

he ar

my,

ac

com

pani

ed b

y he

r ge

nera

ls an

d he

r hu

sban

d, D

on F

ranc

isco

de

Asís

, rev

iew

ing

the

troo

ps.

From

the

ant

echa

mbe

r w

e re

ach

the

fines

t pa

rt o

f th

e ho

use,

the

G

reat

Bal

lroo

m w

ith tw

o sm

alle

r sp

aces

at

each

sid

e, w

here

the

m

ost o

pule

nt fu

rnitu

re a

nd d

eco-

ratio

n ar

e di

spla

yed,

inc

ludi

ng c

loth

wal

l co

veri

ngs,

cry

stal

cha

nde-

liers

, ta

ssel

led

drap

es,

dam

asks

, gi

lded

por

cela

in,

and

larg

e m

irro

rs

that

ref

lect

the

lig

ht f

orm

the

lam

ps a

nd m

ultip

ly t

he i

mag

es,

crea

-tin

g th

e se

nsat

ion

of a

larg

er a

nd m

ore

open

spac

e. In

thes

e pr

ecin

cts,

ap

pear

ance

s pre

vail

over

intim

acy,

and

each

room

ope

ns d

irec

tly to

the

next

one

, w

ithou

t ha

llway

s, s

o th

ere

is an

uni

nter

rupt

ed v

iew

of t

he

entir

e ho

use,

from

one

ext

rem

e to

the

othe

r.

The

bal

lroo

m w

as u

sual

ly t

he la

rges

t an

d m

ost

lavi

sh s

pace

in

Rom

antic

-era

man

sions

, and

was

use

d so

lely

for

ente

rtai

ning

. Lu

xury

and

ost

enta

tion

wer

e th

e m

ost o

bvio

us fe

atur

es. G

old

and

silk

shon

e fr

om th

e gr

eat m

irro

rs o

n th

e w

alls,

whi

le th

e sp

arkl

ing

crys

tal

chan

delie

rs a

ccen

ted

the

fanc

iful

ceili

ng,

an A

llego

ry o

f D

awn,

al

so fr

om th

e Ca

sino

de la

Rei

na a

nd d

esig

ned

by th

e sa

me

pers

on a

s the

ot

hers

.

The

mah

ogan

y Is

abel

line

chai

rs w

ere

orig

inal

ly o

wne

d by

gov

ernm

ent

min

ister

Ant

onio

Mar

ia F

abié

, who

se p

arlo

ur h

ad b

een

the

site

of a

lite-

rary

salo

n at

tend

ed b

y su

ch lu

min

arie

s as G

usta

vo A

dolfo

Béc

quer

and

G

ómez

de

la A

vella

neda

. T

he c

onso

le t

able

, sm

all t

able

s an

d m

ante

l-pi

ece

wer

e pe

rfec

t sup

port

s for

the

disp

lay

of sm

all o

bjec

ts an

d tr

inke

ts

–por

cela

ins,

lant

erns

, m

usic

box

es,

cloc

ks,

etc.

– w

hich

mad

e up

the

fa

mily

’s s

ouve

nir

colle

ctio

n. M

usic

was

pla

inly

the

pro

tago

nist

in t

his

area

: the

har

p sig

ned

by S

ebas

tián

Erar

d is

a ty

pica

l Rom

antic

art

efac

t,

bear

ing

neo-

Got

hic

ador

nmen

t. T

he p

iano

, sh

owin

g th

e ro

yal,

coat

of

arm

s on

its

lid, w

as b

uilt

expr

essly

for

Que

en Is

abel

II b

y Pl

eyel

in

Pari

s, a

nd th

e sm

alle

r pi

anof

orte

is a

love

ly E

nglis

h in

stru

men

t ant

ici-

patin

g th

e up

righ

t pia

no.

As r

egar

ds p

aint

ing,

the

emph

asis

in th

is ro

om in

on

the

port

rait,

a ge

n-re

that

rea

ched

its

peak

in th

e R

oman

tic p

erio

d. F

emal

e po

rtra

its te

n-de

d to

dep

ict

dist

ingu

ished

wom

en d

ress

ed t

o sh

ow t

heir

soc

ial r

ank

or th

at o

f the

ir h

usba

nds.

Men

, how

ever

, wer

e no

rmal

ly d

epic

ted

en-

gage

d in

inte

llect

ual a

ctiv

ities

or

abou

t to

leav

e th

eir

hom

es, r

efle

ctin

g th

eir

mor

e pu

blic

nat

ure.

Fam

ily p

ortr

aits

wer

e di

ffere

nt fr

om t

hose

of

age

s pa

st,

since

the

y w

ere

inte

nded

to

show

the

link

s of

affe

ctio

n be

twee

n th

eir m

embe

rs. I

n ro

yal p

ortr

aits

, tho

ugh,

the

purp

ose

was

to

show

the

con

tinui

ty o

f the

dyn

astic

line

, al

ong

with

cer

tain

sym

bols,

su

ch a

s the

cro

wn

or th

e sc

eptr

e.

IVT

he G

reat

Bal

lroo

m

Hav

ing

visit

ed th

e m

ost l

avish

and

st

atel

y ro

oms

of t

he m

ansio

n,

we

now

ent

er th

e m

ore

intim

a-te

and

priv

ate

quar

ters

, tho

ugh

they

wer

e al

so u

sed

to e

nter

tain

trus

ted

frie

nds.

Eac

h ro

om h

ad a

diff

eren

t use

and

was

use

d by

di

ffere

nt p

eopl

e.

In t

his

atm

osph

ere

we

see

few

er s

igns

of

the

affe

ctat

ions

of

the

bour

geoi

sie,

and

the

deco

ratio

n is

less

form

al.

The

chai

rs,

mad

e of

wal

nut

and

bulr

ush,

are

a g

ood

imita

tion

of th

e Em

pire

sty

le, w

ith o

bvio

us E

nglis

h in

fluen

ce (

Sher

aton

ty

pe).

In th

is pe

riod,

indu

stria

l exh

ibiti

ons h

elpe

d po

pula

rise

mas

s-pr

o-du

ced

furn

iture

, suc

h as

the

port

able

Vito

ria c

hairs

, with

can

e or

str

aw

seat

s and

a st

ruct

ure

of tu

rned

woo

den

rods

.

Them

atic

ally

, Roo

ms V

I, V

II an

d V

III a

re d

edic

ated

to co

stum

brism

o pa

in-

ting,

pic

ture

sque

dep

ictio

ns o

f so

cial

life

and

cus

tom

s ca

terin

g m

ade

chie

fly t

o sa

tisfy

fore

igne

rs’

tast

es fo

r th

e ex

otic

and

a d

omes

tic b

our-

geoi

sie th

at p

refe

rred

to a

vert

its g

aze

from

rea

l soc

ial c

ondi

tions

of t

he

low

er c

lass

es.

The

And

alus

ian

scho

ol o

f cos

tum

brism

o te

nded

to

pret

tify

and

idea

lise

its s

ubje

cts,

and

was

pla

inly

influ

ence

d by

Mur

illo.

The

di-

vers

ity o

f reg

iona

l Spa

nish

dre

ss w

as h

ighl

ight

ed in

thes

e pa

intin

gs, a

nd

man

y sc

enes

wer

e se

t in

inns

or t

aver

ns.

VI

And

alus

ian

Costu

mbr

ista

Pain

ters

VT

he A

nter

oom

The

las

t of

the

fin

e ro

oms

is de

cora

ted

to a

ccom

mod

ate

less

fo

rmal

soc

ial g

athe

ring

s, s

uch

as t

he te

rtul

ias o

r liv

ely

disc

us-

sion

grou

ps t

hat

met

reg

ular

ly.

The

inte

rior

of t

he h

ome

be-

cam

e in

crea

singl

y at

trac

tive

and

it w

as g

radu

ally

alte

red

for

the

sake

of

com

fort

, a r

elat

ivel

y ne

w c

once

pt. H

eavy

furn

iture

that

cou

ld h

ardl

y be

bud

ged

was

rep

lace

d by

ligh

ter

piec

es, s

uch

as th

e so

-cal

led

"fly

ing

chai

rs"

that

wer

e no

rmal

ly p

lace

d ag

ains

t the

wal

l but

cou

ld q

uick

ly b

e m

obili

sed

for

gath

erin

gs.

The

se a

re m

ade

of m

ahog

any

and

orig

inal

ly

belo

nged

to th

e w

rite

r an

d po

et J

uan

Ram

ón J

imén

ez. T

hey

coul

d be

co

mbi

ned

with

oth

er li

ght

chai

rs t

o be

pla

ced

arou

nd a

car

d ta

ble,

or

for m

ore

intim

ate

conv

ersa

tions

. The

furn

ishin

gs a

re c

ompl

eted

by

the

pian

o, b

uilt

in 1

827

in M

adri

d by

Jos

é C

olm

enar

ejo,

and

dec

orat

ed

with

coa

ts o

f arm

s and

pic

ture

s of o

ther

mus

ical

inst

rum

ents

.

The

mat

ical

ly, t

his r

oom

addr

esse

s so

me

of t

he m

ore

seri

ous

polit

i-ca

l iss

ues

of t

he r

eign

of I

sabe

l II,

such

as

the

Car

list

War

s an

d th

e w

ar i

n A

fric

a. O

n th

e fr

ont

wal

l is

the

Eque

stria

n po

rtra

it of

Gen

eral

Pr

im b

y A

nton

io M

aría

Esq

uive

l, a

hero

of b

oth

thes

e co

nflic

ts, a

nd a

pr

ogre

ssiv

e w

ho h

elpe

d sp

earh

ead

the

mov

emen

t tha

t end

ed Is

abel

’s

reig

n in

186

8.

VIII

Mad

rid

Costu

mbr

ista

Pa

inte

rs

In th

is sm

all r

oom

we

find

sam

ples

of t

he M

adri

d sc

hool

of c

ostu

m-

brist

a pa

intin

g, w

hose

exp

onen

ts –

Euge

nio

Luca

s, F

ranc

isco

Lam

e-ye

r an

d Le

onar

do A

lenz

a– fo

und

insp

irat

ion

in G

oya,

and

who

se

wor

k w

as m

ore

hars

h an

d le

ss se

ntim

enta

l tha

n th

at o

f the

ir A

ndal

usia

n co

unte

rpar

ts.

The

se p

aint

ers

drew

fir

e fr

om a

cade

mic

cr

itics

for

sev

eral

rea

sons

, am

ong

them

th

eir

relia

nce

on i

mag

inat

ion

or i

nven

-tio

n, w

hich

wer

e th

en a

ssoc

iate

d w

ith

seco

nd-r

ate

artis

ts, a

nd al

so th

eir s

ketc

hi-

ness

and

lac

k of

pol

ish.

Thi

s, c

ombi

ned

with

the

appa

rent

spee

d w

ith w

hich

they

pa

inte

d, w

as r

egar

ded

as b

orde

ring

on

“inde

cenc

y” b

y ac

adem

ic c

ritic

s.

But

thes

e “d

efec

ts”

coul

d be

tra

ced

to

Goy

a hi

mse

lf, a

s co

uld

muc

h of

the

sub

-je

ct m

atte

r, fo

r the

Ara

gone

se g

eniu

s was

w

ont t

o de

pict

the

“ups

ide-

dow

n Sp

ain”

, in

whi

ch a

ll is

conf

usio

n, a

nd

ratio

nal c

reat

ures

beh

ave

absu

rdly

. The

subj

ects

mos

t ofte

n ad

dres

sed

in t

hese

wor

ks a

re u

nequ

al m

arri

age,

the

Spa

nish

Inq

uisit

ion,

Sce

nes

of

band

its, M

aske

d ba

lls, a

nd h

uman

s be

havi

ng li

ke a

nim

als,

as

in A

lenz

a’s

Mon

o er

mita

ño [“

Mon

key

mon

k”] a

nd L

a cr

ítica

. The

disp

lay

also

sho

ws

the

stre

ets

of M

adri

d in

Ale

nza’

s Ca

pric

hos

and

the

wor

ks b

y Fr

an-

cisc

o La

mey

er,

whi

ch d

o no

t di

sgui

se t

he m

edio

crity

and

pov

erty

of

ever

yday

life

.

VII

And

alus

ian

Costu

mbr

ista

Pain

ters

Lik

e th

e pr

evio

us r

oom

, thi

s spa

ce is

furn

ished

with

a c

omfo

rta-

ble

bulr

ush

arm

chai

r and

mat

chin

g st

raig

ht c

hair

. Tw

o sh

owca

-se

s di

spla

y an

impo

rtan

t col

lect

ion

of c

lay

stat

uett

es r

epre

sen-

ting

typi

cal c

hara

cter

s fro

m G

rana

da, M

álag

a an

d M

urci

a.

The

mat

ical

ly,

othe

r A

ndal

usia

n co

stum

brism

o su

bjec

ts a

re i

ntro

duce

d,

such

as

the

high

way

man

and

the

smug

gler

, of w

hich

fore

ign

trav

elle

rs

in S

pain

wer

e so

ena

mou

red,

alo

ng w

ith th

e bu

llfig

hter

and

the

mou

n-te

d pi

cado

r. T

he m

ost

Rom

antic

of

Span

ish b

ullfi

ghte

rs w

as s

urel

y Fr

anci

sco

Mon

tes,

nic

knam

ed "

Paqu

iro"

, who

cod

ified

the

rule

s of t

he

art i

n a

book

pub

lishe

d in

183

6.

The

use

of o

ne o

r m

ore

spac

es a

s pr

ivat

e sit

ting

room

s fo

r th

e en

tire

fam

ily r

efle

cted

the

nee

d fo

r a

less

form

al s

pace

in t

he

hous

ehol

d. T

he te

rm cu

arto

de e

star o

r “liv

ing

room

” gai

ned

cu-

rren

cy a

t mid

-cen

tury

. In

the

win

dow

s, h

eavy

silk

dra

pes p

aint

ed d

ark

blue

see

m t

o in

dica

te t

hat

the

inha

bita

nts

wer

e af

raid

tha

t to

o m

uch

sunl

ight

mig

ht d

amag

e th

e fu

rnitu

re,

or r

evea

l the

ir d

eepe

st fe

elin

gs.

Tw

o bu

ilt-in

sho

wca

ses

on t

he fr

ont

wal

ls, a

nd a

cur

ious

gro

up o

f li-

thop

hane

s –ca

st p

orce

lain

shee

ts w

ith p

ictu

res t

hat a

ppea

r w

hen

light

is

shon

e th

roug

h th

em–.

The

mat

ical

ly,

this

spac

e fo

cuse

s on

the

land

scap

e an

d pa

intin

gs o

f ar-

chite

ctur

e. O

utst

andi

ng h

ere

is th

e w

ork

of J

enar

o Pé

rez

Vill

aam

il (1

807-

1854

) who

, ins

pire

d by

the

mist

s and

den

se at

mos

pher

es u

sed

in

the

Span

ish p

ictu

res o

f suc

h En

glish

pai

nter

s, b

ecam

e Sp

ain’

s mos

t bri

-lli

ant l

ands

cape

pai

nter

. He

prep

ared

his

fam

ous a

lbum

of l

ithog

raph

s,

Espa

ña a

rtíst

ica

and

mon

umen

tal (

The S

pain

of A

rt a

nd M

onum

ents)

, spo

nso-

red

by G

aspa

r de

Rem

isa (w

hose

por

trai

t han

gs in

Roo

m X

XII)

. Oth

er

pain

tings

, in

keep

ing

with

this

huge

and

lavi

shly

illu

stra

ted

trav

el b

ook,

al

so d

epic

ted

the

publ

ic w

orks

car

ried

out

by

the

mon

arch

y, a

nd h

ence

ar

e am

ong

the

earl

iest

exa

mpl

es o

f man

aged

pol

itica

l pro

paga

nda.

IXT

he N

ook

Her

e ar

e di

spla

yed

seve

ral i

tem

s re

latin

g to

mas

culin

e hy

gien

e (a

them

e th

at is

com

plet

ed in

Roo

m X

XI)

. Gen

tlem

en o

f thi

s pe

riod

thou

ght i

t unn

eces

sary

to r

etir

e to

a s

peci

al r

oom

for

thei

r to

ilet,

and

use

d w

ashb

asin

s an

ywhe

re a

nd e

ven

cham

ber

pots

, w

hen

ther

e w

ere

no la

dies

pre

sent

.

The

show

case

at t

he ri

ght c

onta

ins K

ing

Fern

ando

VII’

s lav

ator

y, o

rigi

-na

lly p

lace

d in

a s

mal

l clo

set f

or r

oyal

use

with

in w

hat i

s to

day

Roo

m

39 o

f th

e Pr

ado

Mus

eum

, w

here

the

Goy

a pa

intin

gs a

re d

ispla

yed.

M

ade

of m

ahog

any,

the

sea

t of

thi

s th

rone

had

an

cent

ral o

rific

e fo

r th

e ro

yal

busin

ess.

The

kin

g’s

lava

tory

was

a l

uxur

ious

dev

ice,

dul

y ad

orne

d an

d up

holst

ered

.

At l

eft i

s Fe

rnan

do V

II’s

trav

el c

ase

and

a pr

etty

woo

den

bott

le s

et, a

sm

all

dres

sing

tabl

e, s

ever

al t

oile

t ca

ses,

and

per

sona

l hy

gien

e ite

ms

(on

loan

from

the

Nat

iona

l Mus

eum

of D

ecor

ativ

e A

rts,

Mad

rid)

whi

ch

furn

ish a

bet

ter

idea

of t

he m

atte

r at

han

d.

The

mat

ical

ly,

and

in s

ome

rela

tion

to t

he p

revi

ous

room

, he

re w

e fin

d so

met

hing

clo

sely

ass

ocia

ted

with

the

land

scap

e: th

e ru

in. M

onu-

men

ts o

f med

ieva

l art

wer

e us

ed to

evo

ke th

e an

cien

t and

lost

spir

itual

w

orld

s, a

s wel

l as h

uman

mor

talit

y.XT

he C

orri

dor

XII

The

Cha

pel N

ook

Thi

s lit

tle r

oom

lead

s to

the

fam

ily o

rato

rio o

r ch

apel

, and

from

it

we

can

view

the

mag

nific

ent

Goy

a th

at p

resid

es o

ver

it. In

fa

ct,

it is

an a

ntec

ham

ber

that

also

ser

ved

as a

sm

all

sittin

g ro

om.

Mos

t pr

omin

ent

amon

g th

e fu

rnish

ings

is t

he s

ober

div

an w

ith

mat

chin

g ch

airs

. In

the

cent

re is

a v

ery

odd

faux

med

ieva

l Got

hic

circ

u-la

r pe

dest

al ta

ble,

who

se w

hite

mar

ble

top

is m

ade

from

a to

mbs

tone

of

the

peri

od.

The

mat

ical

ly,

in

this

room

and

the

adj

oini

ng

chap

el w

e fin

d ne

arly

al

l th

e re

ligio

us

pain

-tin

g in

th

e M

useu

m

colle

ctio

n,

and

whi

ch

can

be d

ivid

ed r

ough

ly

into

th

ose

influ

ence

d by

Spa

nish

17t

h C

. ba

-ro

que

pain

ting

such

as

that

of

Mur

illo

and

of

even

glo

omie

r pa

inte

rs,

feat

urin

g dr

amat

ic c

on-

tras

ts,

and

thos

e th

at

depi

cted

mor

e co

ntem

-po

rary

sce

nes,

but

see

n th

roug

h th

e pr

ism

of

costu

mbr

ismo,

whi

ch w

as i

nten

ded

to s

how

wha

t w

as r

egar

ded

as t

he

mos

t cha

ract

erist

ic a

nd a

uthe

ntic

asp

ects

of d

aily

life

in S

pain

.

In th

e Is

abel

line

peri

od, t

his

room

took

on

new

impo

rtan

ce w

ithin

th

e ho

useh

old.

It w

as u

sed

prin

cipa

lly fo

r th

e ev

enin

g m

eal,

since

ot

her

mea

ls co

uld

be s

erve

d in

the

sm

alle

r br

eakf

ast

room

s. P

ost-

pran

dial

con

vers

atio

n w

ith o

ur w

ithou

t co

ffee

or l

ique

urs

coul

d al

so

take

pla

ce in

oth

er r

oom

s. B

ut t

he d

inin

g ro

om w

as w

here

the

fam

ily

asse

mbl

ed to

din

e fo

rmal

ly.

The

cei

ling,

also

take

n fr

om th

e Ca

sino

de

la R

eina

, is a

dorn

ed w

ith th

e co

ats o

f arm

s of

all S

pani

sh p

rovi

nces

, and

is il

lum

inat

ed

by a

love

ly c

ryst

al c

hand

elie

r fro

m th

e pa

-la

ce o

f La

Gra

nja

(Seg

ovia

). T

he fu

rnitu

re

incl

udes

the

obl

igat

ory

mar

ble

firep

lace

, th

e ta

ble

(the

sam

e on

e at

whi

ch G

ener

al

Prim

o de

Riv

era

ente

rtai

ned

the

Cou

ncil

of t

he L

eagu

e of

Nat

ions

in

Mad

rid

in 1

929)

, the

con

sole

tabl

e or

side

boar

d, an

d th

e lig

ht c

hair

s and

se

rvin

g ta

bles

. T

he f

urni

ture

, Pa

risia

n ch

ina

tabl

ewar

e, a

nd e

ven

the

man

ners

, em

ulat

ed fo

reig

n m

odel

s, a

nd e

spec

ially

the

Fren

ch.

The

mat

ical

ly, t

his r

oom

is a

dorn

ed w

ith st

ill li

fes,

whi

ch w

ere

the

pre-

ferr

ed g

enre

in b

ourg

eois

dini

ng ro

oms o

f the

per

iod.

Abo

ve th

e m

irro

r on

the

opp

osite

wal

l is

one

of t

he m

ost

embl

emat

ic p

aint

ings

of

the

Span

ish R

oman

tic p

erio

d, L

a fa

mili

a de

Don

Jor

ge F

laqu

er (

The

Fam

ily o

f D

on Jo

rge

Flaq

uer),

by

the

Cat

alon

ian

artis

t Joa

quim

Esp

alte

r i R

ull.

The

Fl

aque

r fam

ily w

as a

mon

g th

e an

cest

ors o

f the

foun

der o

f thi

s Mus

eum

, an

d th

e pa

intin

g pr

ovid

es u

s with

inva

luab

le in

sight

s int

o pr

ivat

e do

mes

-tic

life

in th

e pe

riod

.

XI

The

Din

ing

Roo

m

XIV

The

Chi

ldre

n's P

layr

oom

The

gre

ater

pre

senc

e of

chi

ldre

n on

the

hou

se b

roug

ht a

bout

a

chan

ge in

intim

ate

fam

ily li

fe:

the

mot

her

mig

ht s

hare

her

e be

droo

m w

ith l

ittle

chi

ldre

n, b

ut t

he o

lder

one

s no

w s

lept

in

sep

arat

e ro

om.

The

chi

ldre

n’s

bedr

oom

mig

ht a

lso o

pera

te a

s th

e pl

ayro

om,

as lo

ng a

s it

coul

d be

rea

ched

inde

pend

ently

, w

ithou

t di

s-tu

rbin

g th

e ac

tiviti

es o

f the

adu

lts.

The

atm

osph

ere

of fe

min

ine

influ

ence

was

clo

sely

con

nect

ed to

the

ro-

oms u

sed

by th

e la

dy o

f the

hou

se. T

heir

furn

ishin

gs w

ere

less

form

al,

and

dive

rse

obje

cts a

nd tr

inke

ts w

ere

disp

erse

d th

roug

h th

e sp

ace

and

in th

e sh

owca

ses.

The

yel

low

wal

ls id

entif

ied

the

room

as a

hap

py a

nd

prac

tical

pla

ce.

Port

raits

of c

hild

ren

wer

e ve

ry p

o-pu

lar

in t

he R

oman

tic a

ge,

whe

n ch

ildre

n w

ere

cher

ished

. The

gen

-re

also

int

rodu

ces

us t

o ot

her

as-

pect

s of l

ife, s

uch

as fu

n an

d ga

mes

, le

sson

s,

fash

ion,

pe

ts,

hobb

ies,

et

c. O

ther

them

es ar

e th

e af

fect

ion

betw

een

mot

her

and

daug

hter

, or

th

e de

ath

of c

hild

ren,

whi

ch w

as a

ve

ry c

omm

on o

ccur

renc

e ow

ing

to d

iseas

e, a

nd t

he s

till

prim

itive

st

ate

of m

edic

al p

ract

ice,

and

from

w

hich

not

eve

n th

e ro

yal

fam

ily

was

spar

ed.

The

or

ator

io

or

chap

el

–whi

ch

appe

ars t

o ha

ve b

een

used

as su

ch

since

the

man

sion

was

bui

lt– w

as

the

site

of s

ocia

l eve

nts

as w

ell a

s fa

mily

w

orsh

ip.

We

know

tha

t th

e in

habi

tant

s at

the

tim

e, t

he f

amily

of

the

Cou

nt o

f la

Pue

bla

del

Mae

stre

, em

belli

shed

and

de

cora

ted

this

room

, w

here

the

cou

nt’s

fir

st-b

orn

son,

the

Mar

quis

of B

acar

es,

lay

in st

ate

on 2

4th

Apr

il de

181

6.

The

neo

-cla

ssic

ism o

f th

e pl

aste

r m

oul-

ding

s an

d th

e ge

omet

ry o

f th

e flo

orin

g re

flect

ed t

he d

omin

ant

tast

es o

f th

e la

te

18th

C.

Both

the

fur

nitu

re –

such

as

the

outs

tand

ing

velv

et-u

phol

ster

ed m

ahog

any

prie

-die

u th

at b

elon

ged

to

Que

en Is

abel

II–

and

the

relig

ious

scul

ptur

e an

d lit

urgi

cal i

tem

s, in

vite

m

edita

tion.

In th

e ce

ntre

, abo

ve th

e al

tar,

is F

ranc

isco

de G

oya’

s m

agni

ficen

t can

-va

s Sa

n G

rego

rio M

agno

(Sai

nt G

rego

ry, t

he G

reat

), w

hich

bel

onge

d to

the

exec

utor

of

the

esta

te o

f th

e M

useu

m’s

fou

nder

, an

ear

ly a

dmir

er o

f th

e br

illia

nt p

aint

er fr

om A

rago

n, w

ho is

now

reg

arde

d as

a p

recu

rsor

of

Rom

antic

ism.

It is

flank

ed b

y a

num

ber

of B

aroq

ue p

aint

ings

with

th

e sa

me

orig

in,

alon

g w

ith R

oman

tic p

aint

ings

tha

t w

ere

insp

ired

by

the

Baro

que

Fran

cisc

o R

iber

a’s

chia

rosc

uros

and

wel

l-sha

ped

form

s, o

r M

urill

o’s

soft,

war

m c

olou

rs a

nd b

eaut

iful f

emal

e fig

ures

with

sw

eet

expr

essio

ns.

XIII

The

Cha

pel

XV

IT

he L

ady'

s Bed

room

The

lad

y’s

bedr

oom

had

a s

peci

al

sym

bolic

pow

er,

since

it is

whe

-re

a w

oman

enj

oyed

the

grea

test

fr

eedo

m,

whe

re s

he c

ould

eng

age

in a

ll th

ose

“mys

teri

ous a

ctio

ns”,

from

kee

ping

a

love

lett

er o

r a

spec

ial s

ouve

nir,

to r

ea-

ding

or g

room

ing.

The

fact

that

a la

dy h

ad

her

own

room

indi

cate

d a

grea

ter

awar

e-ne

ss o

f in

divi

dual

ity,

pers

onal

life

, an

d th

e ne

ed to

exp

ress

this

indi

vidu

ality

in a

ph

ysic

al m

anne

r.

In t

his

refu

ge o

f m

emor

ies

and

of l

arge

an

d pe

tty

secr

ets,

a p

orta

ble

wri

ting

desk

w

as in

disp

ensa

ble,

alo

ng w

ith a

dre

ssin

g ta

ble

with

its

jars

of s

kin

lotio

ns a

nd p

er-

fum

es,

the

"paj

e",

a dr

essin

g m

irro

r on

a

high

sta

nd w

ith a

she

lf fo

r gr

oom

ing

item

s, a

nd t

he s

omno

, a

nigh

t st

and

with

a c

upbo

ard

for

the

cham

ber

pot.

The

bat

eau

bed

was

mad

e in

the

Empi

re st

yle,

and

was

cov

ered

by

a la

rge

cano

py w

hich

hel

ped

keep

it w

arm

. The

pre

vale

nce

of u

phol

s-te

ry in

the

roo

m m

ade

it fe

el li

ke a

cos

y re

fuge

. N

ext

to t

he b

ed is

a

char

min

g ba

by’s

cra

dle

in F

erna

ndin

e st

yle,

and

a c

orne

r of

the

room

w

as u

sed

for

med

itatio

n an

d pr

ayer

, with

a sm

all p

rie-

dieu

and

seve

ral

deco

rativ

e el

emen

ts w

ith sy

mbo

lic a

nd e

mot

iona

l val

ue.

The

mat

ical

ly, t

his r

oom

refe

rs to

the

fam

ily, t

he m

othe

r-ch

ild re

latio

n-sh

ip, m

arri

age,

and

the

wed

ding

.

Her

e be

gins

the

tour

of t

he ro

oms i

n w

hich

the

lady

of t

he h

ouse

w

as fu

lly in

cha

rge,

and

she

endo

wed

them

with

a w

elco

min

g ai

r, a

s a

cent

re o

f fee

lings

and

sen

timen

tal e

ncou

nter

s, a

nd a

sp

iritu

al h

aven

from

the

mor

e pu

blic

spac

es.

Influ

ence

d by

Par

is fa

shio

ns, t

he e

lega

nt la

dy c

ould

not

do

with

out h

er

our

sittin

g ro

om fo

r vi

sits

from

her

clo

sest

con

fidan

tes.

In t

he b

oudo

ir sh

e m

ight

also

rea

d, w

rite

, or

sew

in t

he in

form

al s

ettin

g, c

lutt

ered

w

ith b

eaut

iful a

nd p

reci

ous t

hing

s, w

hich

wer

e sy

mpt

oms o

f a w

oman

’s

irra

tiona

lity,

cha

ngea

blen

ess a

nd c

apri

ciou

snes

s. T

he sh

owca

ses a

re re

-pl

ete

with

acc

esso

ries

and

trin

kets

.

The

mat

ical

ly, t

he r

oom

spe

aks

of s

ome

of t

he m

ost

char

acte

-ri

stic

asp

ects

of

the

Rom

antic

fe

min

ine

idea

l: m

othe

rhoo

d,

the

nude

–an

unc

omm

on g

en-

re–,

whi

ch,

alon

g w

ith s

educ

-tio

n, w

as c

ircu

msc

ribe

d to

the

w

orld

of

the

engr

avin

g an

d to

ce

rtai

n fe

mal

e po

rtra

its

that

m

anag

ed to

evo

ke th

e pe

riod

’s

idea

l of

fra

gile

, et

here

al,

and

eleg

ant b

eaut

y.

XV

The

Bou

doir

XV

IIIT

he L

itera

ture

an

d th

e The

atre

Roo

m

The

obj

ects

her

e ar

e st

eepe

d in

the

affe

ctiv

e an

d se

ntim

enta

l va-

lues

, ref

lect

ing

the

rela

tions

of t

he p

eopl

e w

ho d

wel

led

in th

e ho

use

and

mai

ntai

ned

with

them

an

alm

ost p

sych

olog

ical

rel

a-tio

nshi

p. F

urni

ture

also

had

a s

ymbo

lic fu

nctio

n: d

epen

ding

on

whe

re

and

how

it w

as p

lace

d, it

indi

cate

d th

e di

ffere

nt d

egre

es o

f for

mal

ity.

The

not

ion

that

som

e fu

rnish

ings

are

mas

culin

e an

d ot

hers

fem

inin

e un

derl

ines

a s

ocia

l rea

lity

that

was

also

evi

dent

in p

eopl

es’

dres

s an

d cu

stom

s.

Tot

ally

fem

inin

e is

the

love

ly c

hest

of

draw

ers

that

bel

onge

d to

the

po

etes

s Car

olin

a C

oron

ado.

In th

is pe

riod

ther

e w

as a

slig

ht c

hang

e in

w

omen

’s s

tatu

s, a

nd w

hile

rea

ding

, w

ritin

g, a

nd t

hink

ing

cont

inue

d to

be

rega

rded

as

out

of b

ound

s fo

r th

e fe

mal

e se

x, t

here

wer

e m

any

exce

ptio

ns.

The

mat

ical

ly,

the

room

foc

uses

on

li-te

ratu

re a

nd t

he t

heat

re,

by w

ay o

f th

e po

rtra

it. S

ocia

l ga

ther

ings

and

fri

ends

-hi

ps i

nvol

ving

art

ists

of d

iffer

ent

genr

es

wer

e qu

ite c

omm

on d

urin

g th

e R

oman

tic

age,

whi

ch s

ough

t to

bre

ak d

own

trad

i-tio

nal b

arri

ers

betw

een

the

arts

. Wri

ters

sh

owed

a n

ew v

isual

sen

sibili

ty w

hich

, in

cer

tain

Rom

antic

aut

hors

suc

h as

the

D

uke

of R

ivas

(R

oom

IV

) or

Béc

quer

(R

oom

V),

was

wed

ded

to a

tec

hnic

al

and

expe

rim

enta

l kno

wle

dge

of p

aint

ing.

M

eanw

hile

, lite

rary

them

es –

such

as

deat

h, th

e m

aide

n, o

r th

e de

vil–

al

so in

form

ed th

e vi

sual

art

s.

The

act

iviti

es c

orre

spon

ding

to th

e tw

o ge

nder

s wer

e ca

rrie

d ou

t in

diff

eren

t ro

oms.

Her

e w

e re

ach

the

mas

culin

e pa

rt o

f th

e ho

use,

dec

orat

ed m

ore

serio

usly

and

aust

erel

y: a

sobe

r arm

chai

r (w

ith th

e or

igin

al u

phol

ster

y) in

Fer

nand

ine

styl

e, tw

o ch

ests

of d

raw

ers

from

aro

und

1830

and

with

a s

peci

fical

ly m

ascu

line

func

tion,

and

, in

th

e ce

ntre

, a sm

all a

nd so

ber

pede

stal

tabl

e of

med

ieva

l ins

pira

tion.

Thi

s sm

all r

oom

is d

edic

ated

to

Ma-

rian

o Jo

sé d

e La

rra

(180

9-18

37),

w

ho a

lso u

sed

the

pseu

dony

ms

Fíga

-ro

and

El P

obre

cito

Hab

lado

r, a

nd w

as

Spai

n’s

grea

test

wri

ter

of l

itera

ture

an

d jo

urna

lism

dur

ing

the

Rom

an-

tic e

ra.

His

sarc

astic

tem

pera

men

t an

d bi

tter

disa

ppoi

ntm

ent

with

his

coun

try,

agg

rava

ted

by a

tur

bule

nt

love

affa

ir w

ith D

olor

es A

rmijo

, le

d hi

m to

com

mit

suic

ide.

In ad

ditio

n to

pa

intin

gs an

d ot

her o

bjec

ts b

elon

ging

to

Lar

ra –

lent

to th

e m

useu

m in

192

4 by

his

desc

enda

nts–

thi

s ro

om fo

cu-

ses o

n bo

oks a

nd n

ewsp

aper

s, a

nd o

n th

e pr

emat

ure

deat

h by

his

own

hand

of S

pain

’s R

oman

tic g

eniu

s.

Rom

antic

lite

ratu

re w

as fr

augh

t with

the

them

e of

dea

th, a

nd e

spec

ially

th

e id

ea o

f sui

cide

. But

not

eve

ryon

e w

as so

ent

ranc

ed b

y th

is lu

gubr

ious

“f

ashi

on”.

The

pai

nter

Leo

nard

o A

lenz

a m

ocke

d it

in h

is tw

o sm

all p

ain-

tings

–Sá

tiras

del

sui

cidio

rom

ántic

o (S

atire

of

the

rom

antic

lov

er's

suici

de)–

w

hich

hav

e co

me

to sy

mbo

lise

the

entir

e R

oman

tic p

erio

d in

Spa

in.

XV

IILa

rra's

Roo

m

XX

The

Stu

dy

The

stu

dy –

in t

he m

ascu

line

do-

mai

ns o

f th

e ho

use–

was

in

fact

a

room

for

rece

ivin

g gu

ests

. Pre

-va

iling

fash

ions

dic

tate

d th

at it

sho

uld

be

full

of a

var

iety

of f

urni

shin

gs w

ith d

iffe-

rent

sty

les

and

uses

. Ind

ispen

sabl

e in

this

“tem

ple”

of

conv

ersa

tion

and

intim

ate

gath

erin

gs w

as t

he p

iano

fort

e, a

n in

stru

-m

ent f

or e

nter

tain

men

t par

exce

llenc

e. T

he

smal

l tab

les t

ook

up a

cen

tral

zon

e of

the

room

, w

hich

also

fea

ture

d “o

ccas

iona

l” ch

airs

, lig

ht a

nd a

rmle

ss,

and

the

chai

se

voye

use d

esig

ned

to b

e se

ated

ast

ride

, fac

ing

the

back

, per

haps

to w

atch

a

card

gam

e or

a m

usic

rec

ital.

The

con

fidan

te –

with

two

oppo

sed

and

faci

ng s

eats

– w

as t

he a

rmch

air

of s

ecre

ts,

and

was

kno

wn

in S

pain

as

the

vis à

vis.

Cha

irs w

ere

mad

e to

imita

te th

e or

ient

al la

cque

red

vari

ety,

an

d th

e Ph

ilipp

ine

styl

e w

as in

fas

hion

dur

ing

Isab

el I

I’s r

eign

, al

ong

with

the

pede

stal

tabl

es a

nd th

e th

ree

pret

ty c

onso

le ta

bles

.

As r

egar

ds th

e th

emat

ic it

iner

ary,

the

disc

ours

e co

ntin

ues h

ere

that

was

be

gun

in R

oom

s X

VII

and

XV

III,

dedi

cate

d to

the

art

ist in

lite

ratu

re,

on th

is oc

casio

n sh

owin

g th

e im

age

of th

e vi

sual

artis

t, h

is ne

w v

ision

of

the

wor

ld, a

nd th

e co

ncep

t of g

eniu

s. A

rtist

s, e

mul

atin

g th

e bo

urge

ois,

al

so a

sser

ted

them

selv

es t

hrou

gh t

he p

ortr

ait

and

the

self-

port

rait,

in

whi

ch th

ey d

efin

ed th

emse

lves

and

show

ed h

ow th

ey w

ished

to b

e se

en

by o

ther

s. In

this

peri

od th

e no

tion

bega

n to

em

erge

that

a m

an’s

gre

at-

ness

lay

sole

ly in

his

qual

ities

and

the

bene

fit c

onfe

rred

by

as a

ctio

ns o

n so

ciet

y as

a w

hole

, as m

erit

bega

n to

supp

lant

line

age

in th

e pr

evai

ling

valu

e sy

stem

.

In th

is pe

riod

tob

acco

was

gra

dual

ly i

nvad

ing

publ

ic a

nd p

riva

te

spac

es, a

s bot

h w

itnes

s and

sym

bol o

f the

mas

culin

isatio

n of

soci

al

life.

We

shou

ld r

ecal

l tha

t som

e ph

ysic

ians

in th

e pe

riod

bel

ieve

d th

at sm

oke

had

heal

thfu

l pro

pert

ies.

The

sm

okin

g ro

om w

as a

n in

-no

vatio

n th

at s

uppl

ied

the

pa-

ter

fam

ilias

with

an

atm

osph

e-re

tha

t w

as n

ot s

o fo

rmal

, bu

t th

at r

athe

r ev

oked

sle

epin

ess

and

wel

l-bei

ng.

It w

as a

pla

ce

whe

re o

ne r

etir

ed i

n or

der

to

smok

e, a

nd t

hat

invi

ted

one

to r

epos

e, a

spa

ce f

or o

nese

lf an

d on

e’s m

ost t

rust

ed fr

iend

s.

Ori

enta

l an

d pa

rtic

ular

ly A

ra-

bic

mot

ifs w

ere

favo

ured

in th

e de

cora

tion.

The

res

tora

tion

of

the

Alh

ambr

a of

Gra

nada

in

the

1860

s fu

elle

d th

is fa

shio

n am

ongs

t the

bou

rgeo

isie.

The

mat

ical

ly,

this

room

giv

es u

s an

opp

ortu

nity

to

show

the

influ

en-

ce o

f Ori

enta

lism

and

exo

ticism

on

the

Rom

antic

mov

emen

t. E

gypt

, M

oroc

co,

and

even

Spa

in’s

ow

n M

uslim

pas

t w

ere

now

fas

hion

able

th

roug

hout

Eur

ope,

and

thi

s br

ough

t a

wav

e of

for

eign

tra

velle

rs f

or

who

m th

is ill

usor

y w

orld

, str

addl

ing

the

med

ieva

l and

the

pict

ures

que,

an

d w

hich

they

bel

ieve

d ex

isted

in S

pain

, was

vita

l.

XIX

The

Sm

okin

g R

oom

XX

IIT

he O

ffice

The

offi

ce w

as th

e w

ork

room

, so

its d

ecor

atio

n w

as v

ery

limite

d an

d se

riou

s. T

he v

ery

Engl

ish-

look

ing

wal

lpap

er h

ad s

ober

mot

ifs,

and

the

furn

iture

com

bine

s th

e au

ster

e Fe

r-na

ndin

e st

yle

with

Isa

belli

ne p

iece

s at

th

e op

posit

e ex

trem

e an

d w

hich

sou

ght

com

fort

thr

ough

cus

hion

ing

and

fluffy

su

rfac

es,

alon

g w

ith a

cer

tain

deg

ree

of

oste

ntat

ion,

tho

ugh

this

did

not

man

age

to c

once

al th

e gr

adua

l im

pove

rish

men

t of

mat

eria

ls an

d te

chni

ques

.

Out

stan

ding

is t

he F

erna

ndin

e-st

yle

ma-

hoga

ny o

ffice

des

k w

ith m

arqu

etry

aro

und

the

keyh

ole

and

two

secr

et

draw

ers a

t the

side

s. It

onc

e be

long

ed to

the

Mar

quis

of R

emisa

–w

ho

is sh

own

next

to

a po

rtra

it of

him

self–

and

was

acq

uire

d fr

om I

sabe

l R

egoy

os,

win

dow

of

the

pain

ter

and

dire

ctor

of

the

Prad

o M

useu

m,

Aur

elia

no d

e Be

ruet

e.

The

mat

ical

ly, t

his r

oom

is a

con

tinua

tion

of th

e hu

man

gal

lery

that

be-

gan

in th

e pr

evio

us o

ne th

roug

h a

dive

rsity

of p

erso

nage

s hav

ing

to d

o w

ith t

he m

ascu

line

prot

otyp

es o

f the

age

: m

ilita

ry m

en,

bank

ers,

and

th

e no

uvea

ux r

iche

s. A

ver

y co

mm

on t

ype

was

the

mon

ied

bour

geoi

s,

norm

ally

a b

usin

essm

an o

r hi

gh o

ffici

al.

Thi

s ty

pe w

as o

ften

an in

te-

llect

ual,

and

a co

llect

or, s

ensit

ive

to a

nd r

emai

ning

abr

east

of c

ultu

ral

tren

ds.

His

high

soc

ial

posit

ion

was

ref

lect

ed in

the

atm

osph

ere

that

su

rrou

nded

him

.

The

mas

ter

bedr

oom

has

a m

ore

serio

us a

nd s

ever

e as

pect

. Th

e w

alls

are

deco

rate

d w

ith a

wid

e ba

sebo

ard

pain

ted

to r

esem

ble

the

woo

den

ones

we

can

see

thro

ugh

open

ings

mad

e in

the

wal

l.

The

fur

nish

ings

are

muc

h le

ss

eleg

ant

and

mor

e pr

actic

al:

a C

arlo

s IV

-sty

le b

ed;

a co

mfo

r-ta

ble

dres

sing

tabl

e or

bas

in

whi

ch s

aved

spa

ce s

ince

whe

n cl

osed

its h

ygie

nic

func

tion

was

no

t evi

dent

: a ta

ble

for

hold

ing

groo

min

g ite

ms;

a

cham

ber

pot;

a n

ight

sta

nd w

ith w

ater

bo

ttle

, an

d a

full-

leng

th p

siqué

or

tilt

ing

mir

ror,

with

can

dle

hold

ers s

o th

at it

cou

ld b

e us

ed

at n

ight

.

In th

is ro

om m

ale

port

raits

are

sh

own,

mak

ing

up a

sm

all

ga-

llery

of

the

vari

ed p

roto

type

s of

the

per

iod,

suc

h as

the

Rom

antic

“re

bel”,

with

sha

des

of t

he n

oble

ba

ndit

whi

ch,

alon

g w

ith a

rtist

s, c

ompr

ised

the

grea

t spi

ritua

l fam

ily o

f vi

siona

ries,

who

, aw

are

of t

heir

gift

s, m

ade

of t

heir

ow

n ex

isten

ce a

pr

ivat

e ad

vent

ure;

the

sailo

r, sy

mbo

l of f

reed

om a

nd d

arin

g, w

ith a

life

be

yond

con

vent

ion

and

rout

ine:

the

dan

dy,

obse

ssed

by

fash

ion;

and

ev

en “o

ffici

al” t

ypes

, with

pol

itica

l and

soci

al im

port

ance

.

XX

IT

he G

entle

man

's Be

droo

m

XX

IVT

he C

onse

rvat

ory

Alo

ve o

f pla

nts

and

natu

re w

as a

impo

rtan

t fe

atur

e of

the

Ro-

man

tic a

ge.

The

idea

lisat

ion

of c

ount

ry l

ife b

y ci

ty d

wel

lers

im

plie

d th

e ea

rlie

st cr

itici

sm o

f the

mod

ern

city

. Con

sequ

ently

th

e es

tufa

or

“hot

hous

e”,

for

whi

ch t

he F

renc

h w

ord

serr

e w

as o

ften

used

, was

de

rigue

ur in

city

man

sions

, and

con

tain

ed n

umer

ous p

lant

s,

espe

cial

ly e

xotic

one

s to

delig

ht th

e cu

riou

s and

enh

ance

the

repu

tatio

n of

the

owne

rs. I

n ad

ditio

n, th

e co

nser

vato

ry p

rovi

ded

a ref

uge

from

the

clam

our

of u

rban

life

.

The

sho

wca

se a

t th

e le

ft co

ntai

ns

delic

ate

milk

y gl

ass

mad

e at

the

Rea

l Fá

bric

a de

La

Gra

nja

in

Sego

via,

(on

loa

n fr

om

the

Nat

iona

l M

useu

m

of D

ecor

ativ

e A

rts,

Ma-

drid

), a

nd th

e on

e on

the

righ

t hol

ds c

urio

us p

iece

s of

pai

nted

chi

na m

ade

af-

ter

the

then

-fas

hion

able

En

glish

tec

niqu

e in

Car

-ta

gena

, Sa

rgad

elos

, th

e Pi

ckm

an p

lant

in S

evill

e,

etc.

R

ound

ing

off

the

deco

ratio

n ar

e so

me

love

ly o

rien

tal p

orce

lain

s an

d at

trac

tive

Fren

ch-

influ

ence

d st

ools.

Ano

ther

spac

e fo

r m

ale

soci

alisi

ng

was

the

bill

iard

roo

m,

norm

ally

sit

uate

d ne

ar t

he m

ain

draw

ing

room

and

the

din

ing

room

–th

e ga

me

was

ofte

n pl

ayed

afte

r lu

nch

duri

ng t

he

long

afte

rnoo

ns o

ff–.

Mod

ern

billi

ards

re

ache

d Sp

ain

with

the

Bou

rbon

dyn

asty

an

d w

as a

gam

e as

soci

ated

with

the

ari

s-to

crac

y. T

he b

illia

rd ta

ble

beca

me

know

n as

the

mes

a de

truc

os o

r “t

rick

tab

le”.

Thi

s on

e w

as m

ade

by th

e m

ost f

amou

s man

ufac

ture

r of

the

day,

Fra

ncisc

o A

mor

ós o

f Bar

celo

na,

who

also

wro

te a

maj

or b

ook

entit

led

Mem

oria

so

bre

la co

nstr

ucci

ón d

e m

esas

de

billa

r (Re

port

on

billi

ard

tabl

e co

nstr

uctio

n).

Alo

ng w

ith th

e ta

ble

we

see

the

cue

rack

, a b

ridg

e fo

r cue

s, a

nd se

vera

l se

ts o

f cue

s, a

long

with

the

abac

us o

r co

unte

r.

The

thr

ee-p

iece

sui

te is

in t

he I

sabe

lline

sty

le a

nd w

as m

ade

arou

nd

1860

. It f

eatu

res s

oft c

urve

s, sy

mbo

lisin

g th

e ne

w re

ligio

n of

“com

fort

” an

d th

e ar

mch

airs

see

m t

o di

scre

etly

env

elop

e th

e pe

rson

who

sits

in

them

. It

mig

ht b

e sa

id t

hat

they

are

del

iber

atel

y cu

rved

, in

kee

ping

w

ith th

is co

ncep

t of w

elco

min

g am

iabi

lity.

In th

is at

mos

pher

e of

exc

lusiv

ely

mas

culin

e en

tert

ainm

ent i

ts w

as c

om-

mon

to a

dorn

or

even

line

the

wal

ls w

ith e

xclu

sivel

y fe

mal

e po

rtra

its,

for

such

a r

oom

affo

rded

a sp

lend

id o

ppor

tuni

ty to

disp

lay

a ga

llery

of

such

a R

oman

tic g

enre

. T

oday

the

y af

ford

an

oppo

rtun

ity t

o se

e ho

w

fash

ions

–ha

irdo

s an

d ac

cess

orie

s– d

evel

oped

and

evo

lved

, alo

ng w

ith

the

idea

l of b

eaut

y, in

the

cour

se o

f the

cen

tury

.

XX

IIIT

he B

illia

rd R

oom

In th

e tw

o la

st ro

oms o

n ou

r tou

r we

reac

h th

e en

d of

the

Mus

eum

’s

perm

anen

t ex

hibi

tion

and

com

e to

a z

one

in w

hich

we

can

lear

n m

ore

abou

t so

me

of t

he t

hem

es t

ouch

ed u

pon

duri

ng t

he t

our.

By

exa

min

ing

orig

inal

pri

nts

from

the

per

iod,

alo

ng w

ith b

ook,

mo-

nogr

aphi

c ca

talo

gues

, an

d us

ing

the

com

pute

r, w

e ca

n ex

pand

the

ir

know

ledg

e or

pla

y a

vari

ety

of in

tera

ctiv

e ga

mes

.

We

end

with

a la

rge

mod

el o

f the

mus

eum

bui

ldin

g in

whi

ch w

e ca

n ta

ke a

peek

at h

ow d

aily

life

pro

ceed

ed in

som

e of

its r

oom

s. S

uch

man

-sio

ns w

ere

norm

ally

div

ided

into

terr

itori

es a

nd d

istri

bute

d by

leve

ls,

so a

ctiv

ities

wer

e se

para

ted

vert

ical

ly.

The

gro

und

floor

was

ent

ered

by

mea

ns o

f a la

rge

hall,

with

a g

ate

for

carr

iage

s, a

s we

can

see

in th

e m

odel

. T

his

floor

was

use

d m

ainl

y fo

r se

rvic

es –

the

kitc

hen,

pan

try,

ce

llars

, ser

vant

s’ h

all,

laun

dry,

fire

woo

d, ta

ckle

roo

m, e

tc–.

On

the

mai

n flo

or w

ere

the

mos

t im

port

ant

room

s, in

clud

ing

rece

p-tio

n ro

oms,

form

al s

ittin

g ro

oms,

the

ballr

oom

, the

din

ing

room

, and

th

e m

aste

r be

droo

ms.

The

att

ic fl

oor w

as re

serv

ed fo

r the

serv

ants

’ sle

epin

g qu

arte

rs, a

nd th

e ir

onin

g an

d se

win

g ro

oms.

The

serv

ant’

s roo

ms w

ere,

like

the

serv

ants

th

emse

lves

, wer

e ke

pt o

ut o

f sig

ht to

eve

ry p

ossib

le e

xten

t. T

he m

ini-

mum

num

ber

of s

erva

nts

for

a la

rge

hous

e w

as t

en,

but

fam

ily m

em-

bers

ofte

n liv

ed w

ith t

hem

. T

hey

had

thei

r ow

n st

airc

ase

at t

he r

ear,

ex

tend

ing

from

the

cel

lars

to

the

attic

floo

r, w

hile

the

mai

n st

airc

ase

asce

nded

from

ent

ranc

e ha

ll to

the

prin

cipa

l flo

or.

XX

V a

nd

XX

VI

The

Inte

ract

ive

Roo

m

and

the V

irtu

al S

tage

Plea

se

leav

e th

is co

py

on th

e re

cept

ion

desk

Wri

tten

by

Bego

ña To

rres

Gon

zále

z Ill

ustr

ated

by

Estu

dio

G_c

ero

San Mateo, 13 28004 Madrid