MADRID.
The Picture Gallery; the Works of Murillo; the Annunciation; the
Virgin instructed by her Mother; Landscapes; Velasquez and his
Works; Meeting of Bacchanalians; the Forges of Vulcan; Españoletto,
and his Works; Villavicencio; Juanes; Alonzo Cano; Cerezo; Morales;
Juanes’ Last Supper; the Modern Spanish School; Aparicio; the
Famine in Madrid; Italian Gallery; Flemish School; the _Sala
Reservada_; Statuary; Cabinet of Natural History; _Sala Reservada_;
the Patrician’s Dream; the _Desengaño de la Vida_; Private
Collections; the Duke of Liria’s Gallery; Churches and Convents;
Church of San Isodro; San Salvador; Santa Maria; San Gines;
Santiago; San Antonio de Florida; Convent of Las Salesas; de la
Encarnation; the Franciscans; Santa Isabella; Hidden Pictures; San
Pasqual; Santa Teresa; the Palace.
Since the erection of the splendid building dedicated to the reception
of pictures, most of those which formerly adorned the palaces, have been
transferred to it; and Madrid can now boast of a gallery equal in
extent, and perhaps little inferior in excellence, to any of the other
great galleries in Europe. To the lover of the Spanish school, the
gallery of Madrid possesses attractions which no other can offer.
Besides forty-two pictures of Murillo, it contains fifty-five of
Velasquez, twenty-nine of Españoletto, seventeen of Juanes, six of
Alonzo Cano, and many of Ribalta, Cerezo, Villavicencio, Moralez, &c.;
other saloons contain between four and five hundred pictures of the
Italian schools, and about three hundred of the Flemish school; and in
the _Sala Reservada_, there are several _chef d’œuvres_ of Titian and
Rubens. At present, I return to the Spanish school, to notice first, a
few of the most distinguished works of Murillo.
The first we remark is “A Holy Family,” a picture taken away by the
French, and afterwards restored. The invention in this picture is in the
highest degree original: we have not a mere uninteresting group; but
life and feeling. The infant Jesus--Jesus, but yet a human child--holds
a bird in his hand, which he raises above his head, to save the little
favourite from a dog that tries to seize it: Saint Joseph holds the
child between his knees; and the Virgin, who is engaged in some female
employment, lays aside her work, that she may admire the playfulness of
her son. This picture is admirably suited for shewing Murillo’s chaste
and charming conception of female heads and children.
Passing over “An Infant Christ,” “A John Baptist,” and “The Conversion
of St. Paul,” all three, but especially the second, admirable pictures,
the next strikingly fine work of Murillo’s is “The Annunciation.” This
is considered, and with justice, a very finished composition. The angel
Gabriel announces his heavenly message while the Virgin is reading; and
in her countenance, as she turns to hear the announcement of Divine
will, Murillo has happily displayed the blending of human surprise, with
the sudden illumination of divinity that fills her mind.
A “Mother of Griefs,” and a “Magdalen Seated in the Desert,” the latter,
a picture in Murillo’s best style of colouring, might be next named; but
I pass to “The Martyrdom of the Apostle St. Andrew,” which may vie with
the most celebrated pictures of this master. While the Saint is
extended on the cross, the heavens open and the seraphim descend,
bearing the palm branch and the crown of martyrdom. The blaze of
celestial light which shines upon the martyr, and its contrast with the
_chiaro scuro_, are unrivalled in their effect. In the design and
conception too, there is great beauty of thought, particularly in
illuminating the martyr with the same celestial light that encircles the
heavenly hierarchy.
“The Adoration of the Shepherds,” and the “Infant Jesus and St. John,”
are both worthy of an eulogium; the one for its force and harmony of
colouring, the other for its charming simplicity. But one more beautiful
than these is “the Virgin receiving a Lesson in Reading from her mother,
Saint Anne.” This possesses in a peculiar degree, Murillo’s excellences
of nature and grace. It is all human, as it ought to be; and the divine
calling of the Virgin is only known by two heavenly cherubs hovering
above, and dropping a crown of roses upon the head of the unconscious
child.
Besides these more striking pictures of Murillo, there are several
others of great merit. “Eliezar and Rebecca,” two or three
“Conceptions,” heads of St. Paul and of John the Baptist, the Vision of
St. Bernard, and two landscapes. The landscapes of Murillo are at least
curious. His proficiency in this department was probably acquired in his
early years, when, at the fair of Seville, he painted whatever his
customers demanded.
“A Gipsy and a Spinster,” also in the gallery, are specimens of that
other class of pictures by which Murillo is known to many who have not
been in Spain. These pictures being smaller, and not preserved by the
jealousy of the convents, more easily find their way into other
countries; accordingly, in this style, we find some of the choicest
morsels of Murillo in foreign galleries; in Munich, in the Dulwich
gallery, and elsewhere.
This slight enumeration affords but a very imperfect glimpse of the
pleasure which the admirer of Murillo will find in the gallery of
Madrid; but in other collections, and especially in Seville, I shall
have occasion to return to the works of this head of the Spanish
schools; and at present I must proceed to notice briefly the pictures
of Velasquez, and others, in the Madrid gallery.
Velasquez, the worthy rival, and, in many points, the equal of Murillo,
whose master he was, differs in many respects from his pupil. He studied
in Italy; and there acquired that knowledge of the antique, which is by
some esteemed above the greater simplicity and unaffected grace that
distinguish the works of Murillo. In Velasquez, thought and invention
are not so spiritual as in his pupil, but his composition is more
learned; and in his colouring, he is not excelled even by Titian. His
colours often disappear under his brush, because they become in reality
the thing which he desires them to represent.
One of, but not the most extraordinary composition of Velasquez in the
Madrid gallery, is “A Meeting of Bacchanalians.” One in the midst of his
companions, is seated across a barrel, which is his throne; he is
crowned with vine-leaves, and presents a similar crown to another, who
receives, with a kind of mock respect, this order of knighthood. There
is extraordinary truth in this picture; in fact, the painter makes the
spectator one of the party; he laughs in spite of himself, and almost
feels as if he too had drained some bowls to the memory of Bacchus.
“The Infanta Margaritta-Mary of Austria,” is one of the most splendid
compositions of Velasquez. Velasquez is himself represented with his
pallet and brushes, painting the Infanta; and to distract the attention
of the infant princess from the portrait, two dwarfs, and her favourite
dog, are made to enter the apartment. This picture, in composition,
design, and colouring, is absolutely perfect.
Several portraits of Philip the Fourth, the friend and patron of
Velasquez,--particularly one upon horseback,--and one exquisite portrait
of the Duque de Olivares, his prime minister, deserve the highest
eulogium: a magnificent portrait also, which has obtained the
appellation of “Esop;” “a Suitor for a Place,” who, in a garment of
worn-out black, presents his memorial; a portrait of a “Dwarf and a
Great Dog,” the “Surrender of the Town of Breda,” and a “Manufactory of
Tapestry,” in which the painter has introduced a charming female
countenance, are all excellent in their kind; but the most striking of
all the pictures of Velasquez in this gallery is, The Forges of Vulcan.
The god of fire is at his forge, surrounded by his Cyclopes, when Apollo
brings him intelligence of his wife’s dishonour, and his own. The
attitude and expression of Vulcan, are in Velasquez most powerful
manner. He turns round as if scarcely crediting the message of infamy;
but his dark countenance, which seems to grow darker as the spectator
looks upon it, expresses that jealousy has taken possession of him; his
hammer rests idle in his hand, and the Cyclopes, also, suspend their
work to listen. The scene is the more striking from the true and
brilliant colouring; the red light falling upon the group, and
contrasting with the darkness of the subterranean world beyond. It is a
pity that such a picture should contain any striking fault; and yet it
is impossible to avoid perceiving that the Apollo is weakly conceived.
I have not even named the titles of the greater number of Velasquez
pictures; but these few, although not better painted than many others,
are more striking, owing to their subjects. The lover of portraits also,
will find ample gratification in the many excellent works of this
master, which adorn the gallery of Madrid.
Of the works of Españoletto, the Madrid gallery contains several _chef
d’œuvres_. This painter was born near Valencia, in the year 1589; he was
first the pupil of Ribalta, and afterwards, at Rome, of Caravaggio. The
style of Españoletto is, perhaps, more than any other painter, opposed
to that of Murillo. Simplicity, and the graces of nature, are no where
to be found in his works, which are forcible,--often verging upon the
terrible; and whose object seems to be, rather to seize the imagination
than to touch the heart. But the painting of Españoletto, after he had
seen the productions of Correggio, lost much of that exaggerated manner
which the lessons of Caravaggio had taught him; and in his later styles,
he has produced pictures which unite force with many other excellences.
Among the best of this master’s works in the Madrid gallery are, St.
Peter the Apostle weeping for his sins; in which the design, the
composition, and the colouring, are all excellent;--Jacob’s Ladder, in
which the author shews that he has profited by a study of the works of
Correggio;--“The head of a Priest of Bacchus,” full of character and
vigour;--and “Saint Sebastian,” in the last and best manner of the
painter. Besides these pictures, there are many in the author’s first
exaggerated style; such as “Prometheus bound,” “a Magdalen in the
Desert,” and “Christ in the Bosom of the Eternal;” which, if not
pleasing, are at least interesting, as contrasts with the improved style
of Españoletto’s later compositions.
There are still other pictures in the gallery which must not be passed
over; but I shall not classify them. “Children Playing at Dice,” by
Villavicencio, the disciple of Murillo, and in whose arms he died;--a
picture full of nature and naïveté, and charmingly coloured.
“The Visitation of Saint Elizabeth,” by Juanes. Juanes is, undoubtedly,
one of the greatest of the Spanish painters after Murillo and Velasquez;
and this, as well as others of his compositions, is entitled to rank
immediately after the works of these two masters.
“Saint John the Evangelist writing the Revelations in the Isle of
Patmos,” by Alonzo Cano.
A “St. Francis in ecstasy,” by Cerezo, who was an excellent painter; and
who, in design and colouring, sometimes approached Van Dyk.
“The Virgin and the Infant Jesus.” By Morales, sometimes called “The
divine.”
An incomparable “Head of Christ, crowned with Thorns,” by Juanes.
“A Dead Christ,” by Alonzo Cano.
“A St. Francis,” by Ribalta.
“The Entombment of St. Etienne,” by Juanes, a picture which partakes
largely of the graces that distinguish the school of Raphael and his
followers.
“The Supper,” by Juanes. This is considered the _chef d’œuvre_ of the
author, and was taken by the French, and afterwards restored. Love and
devotion have seldom been more beautifully painted than in this picture.
“Jesus Interrogated by the Pharisees, touching the Tribute,” by Arias.
A saloon is dedicated to the modern Spanish school; containing the
pictures both of the living masters, and of those who have lived within
the last forty or fifty years. It is impossible to look upon these
pictures without feeling more and more the excellences of those
painters, who now live only in their works; for in the modern Spanish
school, there is little to remind us of Murillo and Velasquez; or even
of Juanes, Cano, or Morales. Difficult as it must be admitted to be, to
imitate the unapproachable excellences of Murillo, it is surprising
nevertheless, that the attempt to do this should scarcely ever be made.
After the death of Murillo, as well as during his lifetime, there were
innumerable artists, who, although conscious of the immeasurable
distance at which they followed, yet, thought it wisdom patiently to
seek the traces of his footsteps: and it is a merit of no ordinary kind,
if a painter can earn the character of being a follower of Murillo;
because this at least proves, that he is able to appreciate, even if he
cannot approach, his excellences. But in looking through the gallery of
the modern school, not one picture can be found, of which it may be
said, “this is in the style of Murillo.”
Aparicio and Lopez are the painters who at present enjoy the highest
reputation; but neither of these will suffer a comparison with Bayeu,
who died thirty-five years ago, or with Goya, who has long since retired
from a professional life, but who still lives at Bourdeaux. As little
can the pictures of Bayeu or Goya be compared with the compositions of
the ancient school.
The two great pictures of Aparicio are, “The Glories of Spain,” and “The
Famine in Madrid,”--and both are more in the style of the modern French,
than of the ancient Spanish school. The latter of these is intended to
represent (as the author of it says), “The Triumph of Spanish
Constancy.” During the time of the French invasion, in the winter of
1811-12, the famine that raged in Madrid, almost realized what we read,
of ancient Numantia; and many examples of heroic patriotism are recorded
of this time. The painter has chosen the following:--an old man,
extenuated, and apparently dying, is stretched upon the ground; and the
dead bodies of his daughter, and his grandson are at his feet: three
French soldiers passing by, touched with compassion, offer him food; but
he, disdaining to accept food from the enemies of his country, covers
his face with his hands, that he may not be tempted, and prefers death
to what he considers dishonour.
The subject is undoubtedly fine, and the picture has many merits; but it
is impossible, in looking at any picture, the moral of which is intended
to convey an abhorrence of French dominion in Spain, not to feel that we
cannot give our sympathy to it; and the same feeling has led me, in
walking over those fields of battle that have been fields of glory for
England and Spain, to ask “where are the fruits”? They are nowhere to be
found: the purchase-money was the blood and treasure of England: and
what did they purchase?--the deeper degradation of Spain.
That part of the gallery which is appropriated to the Italian schools, I
shall pass over almost without notice; not because there is nothing in
it worthy of being mentioned, but because I could hope to add nothing to
what is already universally known of the character of the great Italian
masters. In the Italian saloons, there are many copies, and many
re-touched pictures: but there are also a considerable number of
sterling compositions. Guido, Andrea del Sarto, Giordano, Guercino,
Leonardo da Vinci, Bassano, Alexander Veronese, Sachi, Salvator Rosa,
Tintoretto, Titian, and Raphael, all contribute of their abundance. The
most remarkable of these pictures, is the portrait of _Mona Lisa_, a
lady of incomparable beauty, and the wife of Francisco Giocondo, a
gentleman of Florence. This picture cost 180,000 reals.
In the saloon dedicated to the Flemish, German, and French schools,
there are also some fine originals; particularly, two _Claudes_; a
Bacchanalian piece, of Nicholas Poussin, remarkable for the excellence
of its design, and its inimitable harmony; “David and Goliah,” also by
N. Poussin; and “The Adoration of the Angels and the Shepherds,” by
Mengs.
To be admitted to the _Sala Reservada_, requires an order from the
Director of the institution; but this is always politely given upon
application. In passing to the Sala Reservada, the visitor is conducted
through a large apartment, in which a picture of the King’s landing at
Cadiz occupies one of the walls. The painting contains upwards of twenty
figures as large as life,--all portraits: this room is a favourite
lounge of his majesty, who, it is said, contemplates with much
complacency, the picture that records his restoration. In this Hall, the
attention is speedily withdrawn from the picture, by two tables, that
well merit admiration. At a little distance, they appear like exquisite
flower-pieces, painted on glass,--but upon approaching, you discover
that they are of marble; the ground black, and the flowers Mosaic.
Upwards of eighty different flowers are represented: and, among the
marbles of Spain and her late colonies, is found every variety of colour
necessary to give perfect truth to the representation.
In the Sala Reservada are two “Sleeping Venuses,” by Titian, both too
good to be seen by every one; “Adam and Eve,” by Rubens; and eight other
pictures, by the same master. An excellent _Tintoretto_, “Andromeda and
Perseus,” by Titian; “The Three Graces,” by Albano; and two delightful
compositions of Breughel, in which trees, flowers, nymphs, and
fountains, are charmingly mingled.
In the Hall of Statuary, I found tables quite equal in workmanship to
those in the king’s apartment, but in value, far exceeding them. One
represented a landscape, another a marine view--and the effect was
produced, not merely by marbles, but also by innumerable precious
stones, especially emeralds and sapphires; these tables were executed by
a Spanish workman, about fifty years ago. Several good statues adorn the
Hall; and it seems to me, that the state of modern sculpture in Spain,
is more promising than that of its painting. A “Venus,” by Alvarez, and
another, by Gines, are both excellent. There is also, connected with
this Hall, a workshop, called the Hall of Restoration; there, many
artists were employed in repairing the ravages of time. Venuses lay on
the ground without arms; and Graces without noses. An Apollo was getting
fitted with a new foot; and a Calliope with another knee.
There are two public days in the week, upon which all have access to the
galleries; but I had permission to go at any time, and very frequently
availed myself of it; most frequently upon the days that were not
public. I generally saw a considerable number of artists engaged in
copying; and all, in the galleries allotted to the Italian masters.
Opportunity must not be confounded with encouragement. The artists of
Spain have sufficient opportunities, but there is no encouragement; and
both are needed, that the fine arts in a country may be flourishing.
Spain, as well as Italy, produced her great painters when the art was
considered necessary, and was therefore encouraged; when the adornment
of the temples of religion was deemed essential; and when the different
orders of friars, perceiving the effect of externals upon the minds of
the people, vied with each other in multiplying these helps to devotion.
Another building, dedicated to the reception of works both of nature and
of art, is the Cabinet of Natural History. The public galleries are
allotted to mineralogy chiefly; in which department, the specimens are
numerous, and many of them fine. I particularly remarked the very fine
specimens of native gold; but above all, the extraordinary number and
beauty of the precious stones, in which, I believe, the cabinet of
Madrid excels every other in Europe. I noticed nearly forty emeralds
upon one piece of rock, many of them of great size, and almost all of
the purest quality. The specimens of crystal and of sulphur are also
numerous and fine; but the native marbles are perhaps the most
interesting of all. I counted no fewer than two hundred and seven
different kinds. Other saloons in the building are appropriated to
Conchology and Zoology, in which the most perfect department is
considered to be that of the Butterflies.
But the Salas Reservadas are more interesting than the public rooms. One
of the Salas is entirely filled with precious stones, and vessels made
of them; it would almost fill a volume to enumerate the riches contained
in this Hall. In the lower part of the building, also a Sala Reservada,
is the Hall of Pictures; and here are preserved some of the choicest
specimens of Murillo’s pencil. I could not understand why these, and
other pictures in this Hall, are not deposited in the great picture
gallery; the more exquisite they are, the better reason there seems to
be for increasing the facilities for seeing them,--especially as there
is nothing in any of these pictures improper to meet the public eye; the
only excuse for a Sala Reservada.
Among the paintings here, is that exquisite one of Murillo, “Santa
Isabella Queen of Portugal, curing the sick and wounded,” which I have
already noticed in the memoir of Murillo. Another in this Hall, which
ranks among the highest of Murillo’s productions, and which is less
known than some others of his works, is “the Patrician’s Dream.” A Roman
noble asleep, is supposed to have a vision, in which a celestial message
commands the building of a temple. The Patrician is seen buried in deep
sleep, and an angel is near, pointing to a single column. The colouring
in this picture is exquisite; and a spirit of the most perfect repose is
thrown over the whole composition. In the same Hall hangs the companion
to this picture, in which the Patrician is seen recounting his dream to
the Pope.
A “Mary Magdalen Penitent,” by Murillo, and a “St. Geronimo,” by
Españoletto, are also found here; but one of the most extraordinary
pictures I have seen in Spain, is preserved in this Sola; it is by
Antonio de Pereda, and is called “the Desengaño de la Vida,” which
cannot be literally translated into English, but which means “the
Discovery that Life is an Imposture.” A Caballero, about thirty years of
age, handsome and graceful, is represented asleep, and around him are
seen all those things in which he has found enjoyment. Upon one table
lie heaps of gold, books, globes, and implements of study; upon another
are the wrecks of a feast; musical instruments are scattered here and
there; magnificent mirrors and paintings adorn the walls; and on the
floor lies a jewel-box, which has dropped from the hand that hangs over
the couch where he reclines; and a miniature of a beautiful woman has
fallen out of it. But in the air, opposite to the sleeper, is seen the
vision of an angel, who holds a scroll, with certain words inscribed
upon it, which the painter has left for the imagination to decipher, and
which may be naturally interpreted, “Let all pass,--eternity lies
beyond;” and the countenance of the sleeping figure shews not only that
he sees a vision,--but there is something in it so placid, so resigned,
that it seems to express an acquiescence in the advice of the
angel,--“Yes, it is all a cheat.”
I have perhaps dwelt too long upon this picture; but I was strongly
impressed with its excellence, both in design and execution.
There are few private collections of great value in Madrid. Those of the
Duke of Liria, and of the Duke of Medina Cœli, are the best. The former
of these collections adjoins the duke’s palace in the _Plaza de Liria_;
and having carried an introductory letter to his Grace from the Marquesa
de Montemar, the duke did me honour to accompany me round the gallery. I
found three good Murillos,--“St. Roch,” “Santa Teresa,” and “Murillo’s
Son,”--the latter only in his best style; several pictures, which may or
may not be Salvator Rosa’s; but generally believed to be originals; two
of Rubens: a “Battle of the Amazons;” and “Ruben’s Wives,”--the latter
in his best manner; “Adam and Eve chased out of Paradise,” by Paul
Veronese, in all the grace and sweetness of that esteemed master; “A
Holy Family,” by Gaspar Poussin; three landscapes, by Nicholas Poussin;
a charming portrait of Mengs, by himself; two or three delightful gems
of Berghem, full of beauty and repose; three Titians, “A Holy Family,”
the female head singularly beautiful; “St. John in the Wilderness,” a
picture of great richness and finish; and “A Boy playing with a Lion;” a
“Venus,” by Brencino; two Canalettos, but neither of them in his best
style; “The Children of Velasquez,” by Velasquez; and “A Holy Family,”
by Perucini, the well known _élève_ of Raphael,--for which the present
possessor paid 10,000 sequins.
The Duke of Liria’s gallery also contains some statuary; a Venus, by
Alvarez, the Spanish Canova; and the Mother of the Duke by the same
sculptor. The Duke of Liria, although not himself a great connoisseur in
the fine arts, is their liberal patron, which is better. The chapel in
the Duke’s house contains some good fresco, by Antonio Callione de
Torino, a very promising Spanish painter, but who, by his bad conduct,
was forced to exile himself, and who lately died in France.
The collection of ancient armour in the residence of the Duke of Medina
Cœlie interesting than his pictures. It contains, among other things,
the armour of Gonsalva de Cordova. The Duke of Medina Cœli possesses
immense revenues; but, like the greater number of the grandees in Spain,
he is encumbered with debt, being robbed by those to whom he has
delegated the management of his property. It is a certain fact, that
several of the Spanish nobles whose property lies in Andalusia, and
other southern provinces, have never seen their own estates.
The lover of pictures will be disappointed in his search among the
churches and convents of Madrid. The collegiate church of _San Isidro_
contains the greatest number; but they are not of first-rate excellence;
and this church, as well as all the others in Madrid, are so dark, that
it is impossible to obtain a proper view of any thing which they
contain. The church of San Isidro is not worthy of being the
metropolitan church. The interior is in the ornate taste of the Jesuits,
to whom it formerly belonged; but it has taken a higher rank since the
real body of the patron saint of Madrid, and the ashes of Santa Maria de
la Cabeza, have been deposited within its walls. There are, however,
some pictures in this church which, with a favourable light, are worth
visiting. Among the best are “the Conversion of St. Paul,” and “San
Francisco Xavier baptizing the Indians,” by Jordan; a Christ, by
Morales; another Baptism of the Indians, by Jordan; and several others
of Cano, Coello, and Palomino. In one of the chapels are two urns,
wherein are deposited the ashes of Velarde y Daoiz, and the other
victims of the 2d of May, 1808, in memory, as it is recorded, of “the
glorious insurrection of Spain.”
The church of San Salvador is only interesting as containing the tomb of
Calderon; that of Santa Maria is honoured by being the depository of the
miraculous image of our lady of Alumeda. San Gines has a Christ by Cano,
and the Annunciation by Jordan. Santiago contains two or three pictures
by Jordan; and San Antonia de Florida boasts of a fresco by Goya. This
limited interest is all that the churches of Madrid possess.
Among the sixty-eight convents in Madrid, few possess great interest
from the treasures of art which they contain. It is in Seville, and in
the other cities of the south, that the convents offer the chiefest
attractions to the lovers of painting.
The greatest and the richest among the convents of Madrid, is Las
Salesas. It was founded by Ferdinand the VIth., and is adorned with a
profusion of the most beautiful marbles and porphyries of Cuenca and
Granada. I noticed several columns of green marble, upwards of sixteen
feet high, and each of one piece. Both in the church of the convent, and
in its sacristy, there are some good pictures; and a fine marble
monument, raised by command of Charles III. to the memory of the
founder, does credit to the taste of Francisco Sabatini, who designed
it, and to the powers of Francisco Gutierrez, who executed it. The
morning service in the church of this convent is enchanting; the nuns,
all of noble family, and well educated,--chiefly in the same
convent,--seem to have made music a principal study. I have never heard
an organ touched with so delicate a hand, as in the Convento de las
Salesas.
The church of the Convent de la Encarnacion, also a female convent of
bare-footed Augustins, contains beautiful marbles, and some pictures
perhaps worth a visit, by Castillo, Bartolomé, Roman, and Greco.
The Franciscan convent is worth visiting, only on account of its great
extent; it contains ten courts, and dormitories for two hundred monks.
Every where the Franciscans are the most numerous. It is said of
Cirillo, the chief, or general, as he is called, of the Franciscan
order,--he who is now exiled from Madrid,--that he boasted of his power
of putting 80,000 men under arms: a force almost equal to the king’s.
The head of the Franciscan order used formerly to reside in Rome, but
the present head has made choice of Spain.
The convent of Santa Isabel was robbed by the French of many choice
works of Españoletto; but it still possesses some pictures by Cerezo,
Cœllo, and others,--these are in the church of the convent; but it is
said that there are others in the interior, which it is difficult, if
not impossible, to see. There cannot be a doubt, that among the many
hundred convents in Spain, in the interior of many of which no man has
ever been,--no one, at all events, whose object has been to search for
pictures,--there are hidden, many productions of the first masters.
These may have come into their possession in many ways; they may have
been the individual property of distinguished persons previous to taking
the veil; they may have been bequeathed to the convent by the founder;
the gift of the painters themselves; or offerings of the devout: but it
is certain, that pictures of value and merit are shut up in convents. I
am acquainted with a gentleman at Seville, who himself purchased
“Joseph’s Dream,” by Juanes, and a portrait by Giordano, from the abbess
of the Dominican convent at Seville,--who sold them in order to purchase
certain ornaments for one of the altars.
The convent of San Pasqual was, previous to the French invasion, the
richest in paintings of any of the convents or monasteries in Madrid. It
possessed the compositions of Van Dyk, Veronese, Titian, Da Vinci,
Jordan, and many other eminent painters. The greater number of these
have been removed; but there are still several left, that well repay the
trouble of a visit to the church of the convent. There is the “Taking of
Christ in the Garden,” by Van Dyk; a “Conception,” by Españoletto; “St.
Francis in Prayer,” by Veronese; and one or two others by Españoletto.
Several more valuable than these, among the rest, “Jacob Blessing his
Sons,” by Guercino, have been removed from the church into the interior;
but the porter informed me, that it was intended shortly to restore them
again to the different chapels in the convent church. These paintings
were bequeathed to this convent by its founder, the Duke de Medina y
Almirante de Castilla; affording another example of the manner in which
pictures may come into the possession of nuns.
There is reason to believe that in the convent of Santa Teresa also,
there are paintings of value. During the time of the scarcity in Madrid,
several pictures that used to adorn the church of the convent, were
openly sold; and these have since been replaced by others,--several of
them, works of merit, which could not have come from any other quarter
than the interior of the convent. But in the church, there is yet
preserved a picture of great beauty and value: this is a copy of the
“Transfiguration of Raphael,” by Julio Romano; one of the most
successful disciples of that great master. This picture, also, was left
to the convent by its founder, the Prince Astillano, under the
condition that it should never be parted with.
The only other convents worth visiting, are the Las Salesas Nuevas,
which contains a Crucifixion of Greco; and Las Descalzas Reales, in
which will be found a good statue of the Infanta Doña Juana, daughter of
Charles V., from the hand of Pompeyo Leoni.
I regret much that I was not able to see the palace with so much
attention as it deserves. I delayed from time to time making any
application for admission; and in the mean while, the situation of the
queen bringing the court from La Granja two months sooner than usual,
the palace was only to be seen at short intervals, when the king and
queen left it; and as the hour of the _sortie_ was uncertain, the
interval between obtaining the order, and their majesties return, was
very limited.
The new palace, although but a small part of the original plan, is
nevertheless one of the most magnificent in Europe. It was begun in the
year 1737, and was built under the direction of Don Juan Bautista
Saquete, the disciple of Jubarra. It is a square, each front being 470
feet in length, and 100 feet in height; a balustrade runs round the
whole, to hide the leaden roof, and the walls are relieved and adorned
by innumerable columns and pilasters. The interior of the palace
corresponds with its external magnificence; every thing within it, is of
the most costly and most sumptuous kind, bespeaking the habitation of
monarchs who once owned the riches of half the world. The paintings have
been mostly removed to the gallery, but some yet remain; particularly
“the Rape of Proserpine,” and some others, by Reubens; “a Magdalen,” and
some others, by Van Dyk; several exquisite paintings, by Mengs; and
among others, “The Agony in the Garden;” two Cattle pieces, by
Velasquez; and several charming pictures, by Tintoretto, Carlo Maratti,
and Andrea Vacaro. The ceilings also, by Bayeu, Velasquez, and Mengs,
may well excite admiration. In the apartments of the Infantes likewise,
I understand there are some valuable paintings; but these, I had not an
opportunity of seeing. The great license that is allowed the public, has
sometimes surprised me. The royal apartments are of course guarded; but
any person may walk up the stairs, and along all the corridors, and even
through the ante-rooms without being once questioned.
In the neighbourhood of the palace, is the royal armoury, which contains
many ancient relics; among others, the arms of Ferdinand and Isabella,
of Charles V., of King Chico, the last of the Moorish kings, and of
several kings and warriors,--those hardly-used Americans, who took the
Spaniards for gods, and found them worse savages than themselves.