The Industrial Arts in Spain

by Juan F. Riaño

• Aguas, Juan; he worked at Guadix in 1735.
• Albacete, signed Cel, 18th century.
• Ambrosio, worked at Mora in the 18th century.
• Arbell, Ramon, worked at Olot, Cataluña, in the 17th century.
• Beson, Manuel, worked at Madrid.
• Castellanos, el viejo, worked at Albacete in 1766.
• Castellanos, el mozo, worked at Albacete in the 18th century.
• Castello, Gregorio, 16th century.
• Cerda, Miguel de la, worked at Madrid and Segovia in 1590.
• Diaz, Pedro, worked at Albacete in the early half of the 18th century.
• Escobar, Cristoval, 16th century.
• Escobar, Juan, 17th century.
• Fernandez Manso de Payba, Jose, master cutler of the 18th century.
• Garcia de la Torre, Teodoro, 18th century.
• Garijo, master cutler of Albacete; he worked in 1771.
• Gomez, Mateo, worked at Albacete in 1659.
• Grande, Juan, 1643.
• Gutierrez, worked at Chinchilla, 1701.
• Herrezuelo, el viejo, worked at Baeza in 1643.
• Herrezuelo, el mozo, worked at Baeza in 1643.
• Horbeira, Angel, worked at Madrid in the second half of the 17th century.
• Lallave, Juan, locksmith of Madrid in 1820.
• Leon, worked at Albacete early in the 18th century.
• Llorens, Pablo, worked at Olot in 1699.
• Moro, worked at Madrid late in the last century.
• Ramirez, Juan, worked at Mexico in 1590.
• Romero, worked at Albacete in 1769.
• Rosel, worked at Mora.
• San José, worked at Jaen in 1673.
• Selva, Juan, worked at Cartagena in 1780.
• Segura, worked at Mora towards the end of the last century.
• Sierra, Juan, worked at Albacete in 1771.
• Sosa, Madrid, 17th century.
• Torres, Albacete, 17th century.
• Vicen Perez, worked at Albacete in 1674.
• Vilarosa, Antonio, worked in the 17th century.
• Vicen Perez, Julian, worked at Albacete in 1710.
• Zervantes, Francisco, Toledo, 17th century.

The following artists' names may be added; they consist of master cutlers of Madrid, and are to be found in a bundle of original documents at the Academy of San Fernando.

• Alcocer, Francisco, 1635.
• Baltanos, Lucas de, 1611.
• Castillo, Rafael del, 1625.
• Cuenca, Francisco de, 1613.
• Fuente, Pedro de la, worked at Mora and Madrid in 1628.
• Garcia, Bartolomé, 1642.
• Gonzalez, Marcos, 1624, 1625.
• Heras, Antonio de las, 1611.
• Luzon, Andres de, 1611.
• Martin, Alonso, 1643.
• Martinez de Machuca, Pedro, 1611.
• Morel, Alonso, 1643.
• Rodriguez de Quiñones, Pedro, 1611.
• Torres, Antonio de, 1622.
• Valsarias, Lucas de, 1611.

The following names of artists are given in Calomarde's "Historia Politica de Aragon."

• Ferrara, Andres, Zaragoza, 16th century.
• Picado, Jeronimo, Calatayud, 1722.
• Nieva, Luis, Calatayud, 17th century.
• Munester, Andres, Calatayud, 18th century.

FURNITURE.

IT is difficult to give an account of the furniture used in Spain from the earliest times, owing to the absence of specimens belonging to the Roman or Visigothic period. We are safe, however, in affirming that, during the domination of the Romans, the same models were used in Spain as in Rome itself, the similarity between objects of other kinds which exists, and the continual habit of the Romans of imposing their culture on the countries which they conquered, is sufficient to justify this idea. During the first period of the Christian era until about the 11th century, other objects which have reached us as gold and silversmiths' work, seem to prove that all industrial art work, including furniture must have been Classic, Byzantine, or Oriental in form, according to the period in which these styles predominated. The Roman or Classical style must have lasted for a considerable time, if we judge by the texts given by San Isidoro, in his "Etymologies," lib. xx., cap. xi. and xii. San Isidoro lived in the 7th century of our era. We find he mentions the words, de lectis et sellis, de vehiculis, which refer to furniture of the Roman period; but we do not meet with any distinctive terms which can be applied to the time in which he lived, on the contrary he comments on phrases and alludes to the forms of objects in the same manner as Rufus, Varrus, and other classical writers.

At the invasion of the Arabs in the beginning of the 8th century the Byzantine element increased in its application to furniture. During the reign of the caliphs, contemporary authors tell us that luxury of decoration of every kind was carried to a great extent. The description of the pulpit or minbar of the mosque of Cordova will give an idea of its richness. Al Makkari, in his "History of Mohammedan Dynasties in Spain," says, "the length of the Mihrab was 8 cubits; its breadth, 7 cubits; the height of its dome, 13 cubits. There stood on one side a pulpit, constructed by Alhahem, equalled by none other in the world for workmanship and materials. It was made of ivory and exquisite woods, such as ebony, sandal, Indian plantain, citron wood, aloe, and so forth, at the expense of 3,575 dinars: the steps by which it was ascended were nine in number. Another writer says it was formed of 36,000 pieces of wood fastened together by gold and silver nails, occasionally encrusted with precious stones, and its construction lasted for seven years; eight artists being daily employed on it," vol. i. p. 222.

Edrisi, who lived at Cordova at the beginning of the 12th century, describes this pulpit in the same manner. It was to be seen in the cathedral of Cordova as late as the 16th century, when it was destroyed, and its materials employed in the construction of an altar. An Arab minbar is in the South Kensington Museum, which came from Cairo, and although belonging to the last centuries of the Middle Ages, it will give an idea of this structure and its elaborate workmanship.