SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 383.
INTERIOR VIEW OF THE SACRISTY OF SANTO DOMINGO.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 384.
DOOR OF THE CONFERENCE HALL OF SANTO DOMINGO.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 385.
GENERAL VIEW OF THE CLOISTERS OF SANTO DOMINGO.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 386.
CLOISTERS OF SANTO DOMINGO.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 387.
FRESCO IN THE CHURCH OF SANTO DOMINGO, BY PALOMINO.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 388.
DOOR OF THE CHURCH OF ST. MARTIN.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 389.
GATE OF THE CHURCH OF ST. MARTIN.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 390.
DOOR OF THE CHURCH OF SAN JUSTO.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 391.
CHURCH OF THE AUGUSTINES: THE CONCEPTION OF THE VIRGIN, BY RIBERA.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 392.
GATE OF THE CHURCH OF SAN BENITO.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 393.
PARISH CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 394.
PORTAL OF THE PARISH CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 395.
CHURCH OF THE THIRD ORDER OF ST. FRANCIS.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 396.
VIEW OF THE SEMINARY FROM THE IRLANDESES.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 397.
VIEW OF THE SEMINARY.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 398.
CHAPTER-HALL IN THE SEMINARY.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 399.
THE SEMINARY: ABRAHAM OFFERING MELCHISEDECH BREAD AND WINE.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 400.
THE SEMINARY: THE QUEEN OF SHEBA VISITING SOLOMON, BY RUBENS.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 401.
THE SEMINARY: CHRIST SCOURGED. STATUE IN WOOD BY SALVADOR CARMONA.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 402.
GENERAL VIEW OF THE UNIVERSITY.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 403.
FAÇADE OF THE UNIVERSITY.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 404.
UPPER PART OF THE FAÇADE OF THE UNIVERSITY.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 405.
LOWER PART OF THE FAÇADE OF THE UNIVERSITY.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 406.
UNIVERSITY: MEDALLION REPRESENTING THE CATHOLIC SOVEREIGNS OVER THE
PRINCIPAL ENTRANCE.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 407.
FAÇADE OF THE UNIVERSITY.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 408.
LIBRARY IN THE UNIVERSITY.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 409.
UNIVERSITY: ALTAR OF THE CHAPEL.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 410.
GALLERY IN THE UNIVERSITY.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 411.
PORTICO OF THE UNIVERSITY.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 412.
DETAILS OF THE PORCH OF THE UNIVERSITY.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 413.
DETAILS OF THE PORCH OF THE UNIVERSITY.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 414.
DOOR OF THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 415.
COURT OF THE COLLEGE OF THE IRLANDESES.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 416.
FAÇADE OF THE COLLEGE OF THE IRLANDESES.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 417.
PORCH OF THE COLLEGE OF THE IRLANDESES.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 418.
PORTICO OF THE CHAPEL OF THE COLLEGE OF THE IRLANDESES.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 419.
COURT OF THE COLLEGE OF THE IRLANDESES.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 420.
DETAILS OF THE COURT OF THE ARCHBISHOP’S COLLEGE, NOW OF THE IRLANDESES.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 421.
GATE OF SANTA MARIA DE LAS DUEÑAS.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 422.
PROVINCIAL MUSEUM: MODEL IN WOOD FOR AN ALTAR FOR THE CATHEDRAL, BY
MANUEL RODRIGUEZ.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 423.
PROVINCIAL MUSEUM: ARM-CHAIR OF FR. ANTONIO DE SOTOMAYOR.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 424.
PROVINCIAL MUSEUM: ST. MICHAEL OVERCOMING SATAN. SILVER STATUE. THE WORK
OF JUAN DE ARFE.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 425.
CLOISTERS IN THE RUINS OF THE SCHOOL OF THE VEGA.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 426.
CAPITALS IN THE COLLEGE OF THE VEGA.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 427.
STATUE OF OUR LADY OF THE VEGA.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 428.
THE HOUSE OF SALINAS.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 429.
COURTYARD OF THE HOUSE OF SALINAS (UPPER PART).
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 430.
DETAIL OF THE COURTYARD OF THE HOUSE OF SALINAS.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 431.
GENERAL VIEW OF THE COLLEGE OF CALATRAVA.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 432.
STAIRCASE IN THE COLLEGE OF CALATRAVA.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 433.
TOWER OF THE ‘CLAVERO.’
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 434.
GENERAL VIEW OF THE SCHOOL.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 435.
FAÇADE OF THE SCHOOL.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 436.
INTERIOR GATE OF THE SCHOOL.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 437.
ENTRANCE TO THE SCHOOL.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 438.
PORCH OF THE ARCHIVOS OF THE SCHOOL.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 439.
COURTYARD OF THE SCHOOL.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 440.
BACK OF THE SCHOOL.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 441.
COURTYARD OF THE SCHOOL.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 442.
PRINCIPAL FAÇADE OF THE HOUSE OF THE SHELLS.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 443.
GRATED WINDOW OF THE HOUSE OF THE SHELLS.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 444.
TRIPLE GRATED WINDOW OF THE HOUSE OF THE SHELLS.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 445.
BALCONY AND TRIPLE GRATED WINDOW OF THE HOUSE OF THE SHELLS.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 446.
DOORWAY IN THE HOUSE OF THE SHELLS.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 447.
COURTYARD IN THE HOUSE OF THE SHELLS.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 448.
HOUSE OF MONTEREY.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 449.
TOWER OF THE HOUSE OF MONTEREY.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 450.
HOUSE OF MONTEREY.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 451.
LA PLAZA MAYOR.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 452.
THE TOWN HALL.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 453.
PATIO DE LA GOBERNACIÓN.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 454.
ANCIENT COLLEGE, NOW THE HOUSE OF THE PROVINCIAL DEPUTATION.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 455.
RIVER GATE THROUGH WHICH HANNIBAL ENTERED.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 456.
HOUSE OF DOÑA MARIA THE BRAVE.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 457.
AVENUE OF THE CAMPO OF SAN FRANCISCO.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 458.
STATUE OF FR. LUIS DE LEON.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 459.
THE PACIFICATION OF THE FACTIONS OF SALAMANCA. A RELIEF BY DON ANICETO
MARINAS.]
[Illustration: PLATE 460.
MARKET, PROVINCE OF SALAMANCA: ‘A BAD BARGAIN,’ BY J. ARANJO.
(NATIONAL EXHIBITION OF BEAUX-ARTS, 1884.)]
[Illustration: PLATE 461.
PEASANTS’ DANCE, BY D. FIERROS.
SALAMANCA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 462.
CHARRO, OR PEASANT OF THE PROVINCE.
SALAMANCA.]
* * * * *
THE
SPANISH SERIES
Edited by ALBERT F. CALVERT
A new and important series of volumes, dealing with Spain in its various
aspects, its history, its cities and monuments. Each volume will be
complete in itself in a uniform binding, and the number and excellence
of the reproductions from pictures will justify the claim that these
books comprise the most copiously illustrated series that has yet been
issued, some volumes having over 300 pages of reproductions of pictures,
etc.
Crown 8vo. Price 3/6 net
1 GOYA with 600 illustrations
2 TOLEDO ” 510 ”
3 MADRID ” 450 ”
4 SEVILLE ” 300 ”
5 MURILLO ” 165 ”
6 CORDOVA ” 160 ”
7 EL GRECO ” 140 ”
8 VELAZQUEZ ” 142 ”
9 THE PRADO ” 223 ”
10 THE ESCORIAL ” 278 ”
11 ROYAL PALACES OF SPAIN ” 200 ”
12 GRANADA AND ALHAMBRA ” 460 ”
13 SPANISH ARMS AND ARMOUR ” 386 ”
14 LEON, BURGOS AND SALAMANCA ” 462 ”
15 CATALONIA, VALENCIA, & MURCIA ” 288 ”
16 VALLADOLID, OVIEDO, SEGOVIA, } ” 390 ”
ZAMORA, AVILA AND ZARAGOZA }
* * * * *
UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME
MURILLO
A BIOGRAPHY AND APPRECIATION. ILLUSTRATED BY OVER 165 REPRODUCTIONS FROM
PHOTOGRAPHS OF HIS MOST CELEBRATED PICTURES
While the names of Murillo and Velazquez are inseparably linked in
the history of Art as Spain’s immortal contribution to the small
band of world-painters, the great Court-Painter to Philip IV. has
ever received the lion’s share of public attention. Many learned
and critical works have been written about Murillo, but whereas
Velazquez has been familiarised to the general reader by the aid of
small, popular biographies, the niche is still empty which it is
hoped that this book will fill.
In this volume the attempt has been made to show the painter’s art
in its relation to the religious feeling of the age in which he
lived, and his own feeling towards his art. Murillo was the product
of his religious era, and of his native province, Andalusia. To
Europe in his lifetime he signified little or nothing. He painted
to the order of the religious houses in his immediate vicinity; his
works were immured in local monasteries and cathedrals, and,
passing immediately out of circulation, were forgotten or never
known.
UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME
SPANISH ARMS AND ARMOUR
A HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT OF THE ROYAL ARMOURY AT MADRID.
ILLUSTRATED WITH 386 REPRODUCTIONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS. DEDICATED BY
SPECIAL PERMISSION TO H.M. QUEEN MARIA CRISTINA OF SPAIN
Although several valuable and voluminous catalogues of the Spanish
Royal Armoury have, from time to time, been compiled, this “finest
collection of armour in the world” has been subjected so often to
the disturbing influences of fire, removal, and re-arrangement,
that no hand catalogue of the Museum is available, and this book
has been designed to serve both as a historical souvenir of the
institution and a record of its treasures.
The various exhibits with which the writer illustrates his
narrative are reproduced to the number of nearly 400 on art paper,
and the selection of weapons and armour has been made with a view
not only to render the series interesting to the general reader,
but to present a useful text book for the guidance of artists,
sculptors, antiquaries, costumiers, and all who are engaged in the
reproduction or representation of European armoury.
* * * * *
UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME
THE ESCORIAL
A HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT OF THE SPANISH ROYAL PALACE,
MONASTERY AND MAUSOLEUM. ILLUSTRATED WITH PLANS AND 278 REPRODUCTIONS
FROM PICTURES AND PHOTOGRAPHS
The Royal Palace, Monastery, and Mausoleum of El Escorial, which
rears its gaunt, grey walls in one of the bleakest but most
imposing districts in the whole of Spain, was erected to
commemorate a victory over the French in 1557. It was occupied and
pillaged by the French two and a-half centuries later, and twice it
has been greatly diminished by fire; but it remains to-day, not
only the incarnate expression of the fanatic religious character
and political genius of Philip II., but the greatest mass of
wrought granite which exists on earth, the leviathan of
architecture, the eighth wonder of the world.
In the text of this book the author has endeavoured to reconstitute
the glories and tragedies of the living past of the Escorial, and
to represent the wonders of the stupendous edifice by reproductions
of over two hundred and seventy of the finest photographs and
pictures obtainable. Both as a review and a pictorial record it is
hoped that the work will make a wide appeal among all who are
interested in the history, the architecture, and the art of Spain.
UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME
TOLEDO
A HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT OF THE “CITY OF GENERATIONS,” WITH
510 ILLUSTRATIONS
The origin of Imperial Toledo, “the crown of Spain, the light of
the world, free from the time of the mighty Goths,” is lost in the
impenetrable mists of antiquity. Mighty, unchangeable, invincible,
the city has been described by Wörmann as “a gigantic open-air
museum of the architectural history of early Spain, arranged upon a
lofty and conspicuous table of rock.”
But while some writers have declared that Toledo is a theatre with
the actors gone and only the scenery left, the author does not
share the opinion. He believes that the power and virility upon
which Spain built up her greatness is reasserting itself. The
machinery of the theatre of Toledo is rusty, the pulleys are jammed
from long disuse, but the curtain is rising steadily if slowly, and
already can be heard the tuning-up of fiddles in its ancient
orchestra.
In this belief the author of this volume has not only set forth the
story of Toledo’s former greatness, but has endeavoured to place
before his readers a panorama of the city as it appears to-day, and
to show cause for his faith in the greatness of the Toledo of the
future.
* * * * *
UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME
SEVILLE
A HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT, WITH 300 ILLUSTRATIONS
Seville, which has its place in mythology as the creation of
Hercules, and was more probably founded by the Phœnicians, which
became magnificent under the Roman rule, was made the capital of
the Goths, became the centre of Moslem power and splendour, and
fell before the military prowess of St. Ferdinand, is still the
Queen of Andalusia, the foster-mother of Velazquez and Murillo, the
city of poets and pageantry and love.
Seville is always gay, and responsive and fascinating to the
receptive visitor, and all sorts of people go there with all sorts
of motives. The artist repairs to the Andalusian city to fill his
portfolio; the lover of art makes the pilgrimage to study Murillo
in all his glory. The seasons of the Church attract thousands from
reasons of devotion or curiosity. And of all these myriad visitors,
who go with their minds full of preconceived notions, not one has
yet confessed to being disappointed in Seville.
The author has here attempted to convey in the illustrations an
impression of this laughing city where all is gaiety and mirth and
ever-blossoming roses, where the people pursue pleasure as the
serious business of life in an atmosphere of exhilarating
enjoyment.
UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME
THE PRADO
A GUIDE AND HANDBOOK TO THE ROYAL PICTURE GALLERY OF MADRID. ILLUSTRATED
WITH 221 REPRODUCTIONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS OF OLD MASTERS. DEDICATED BY
SPECIAL PERMISSION TO H.R.H. PRINCESS HENRY OF BATTENBERG
This volume is an attempt to supplement the accurate but formal
notes contained in the official catalogue of a picture gallery
which is considered the finest in the world. It has been said that
the day one enters the Prado for the first time is an important
event like marriage, the birth of a child, or the coming into an
inheritance; an experience of which one feels the effects to the
day of one’s death.
The excellence of the Madrid gallery is the excellence of
exclusion; it is a collection of magnificent gems. Here one becomes
conscious of a fresh power in Murillo, and is amazed anew by the
astonishing apparition of Velazquez; here is, in truth, a rivalry
of miracles of art.
The task of selecting pictures for reproduction from what is
perhaps the most splendid gallery of old masters in existence, was
one of no little difficulty, but it is believed that the collection
is representative, and that the letterpress will form a serviceable
companion to the visitor to The Prado.
* * * * *
UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME
GRANADA AND THE ALHAMBRA
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MOSLEM RULE IN SPAIN, TOGETHER WITH A PARTICULAR
ACCOUNT OF THE CONSTRUCTION, THE ARCHITECTURE, AND THE DECORATION OF THE
MOORISH PALACE, WITH 460 ILLUSTRATIONS. DEDICATED BY SPECIAL PERMISSION
TO H.I.M. THE EMPRESS EUGÉNIE
This volume is the third and abridged edition of a work which the
author was inspired to undertake by the surpassing loveliness of
the Alhambra, and by his disappointment in the discovery that no
such thing as an even moderately adequate illustrated souvenir of
“this glorious sanctuary of Spain” was obtainable. Keenly conscious
of the want himself, he essayed to supply it, and the result is a
volume that has been acclaimed with enthusiasm alike by critics,
artists, architects, and archæologists.
In his preface to the first edition, Mr. Calvert wrote: “The
Alhambra may be likened to an exquisite opera which can only be
appreciated to the full when one is under the spell of its magic
influence. But as the witchery of an inspired score can be recalled
by the sound of an air whistled in the street, so--it is my
hope--the pale ghost of the Moorish fairy-land may live again in
the memories of travellers through the medium of this pictorial
epitome.”
UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME
EL GRECO
A BIOGRAPHY AND APPRECIATION. ILLUSTRATED BY REPRODUCTIONS OF OVER 140
OF HIS PICTURES
In a Series such as this, which aims at presenting every aspect of
Spain’s eminence in art and in her artists, the work of Domenico
Theotocópuli must be allotted a volume to itself. “El Greco,” as he
is called, who reflects the impulse, and has been said to
constitute the supreme glory of the Venetian era, was a Greek by
repute, a Venetian by training, and a Toledan by adoption. His
pictures in the Prado are still catalogued among those of the
Italian School, but foreigner as he was, in his heart he was more
Spanish than the Spaniards.
El Greco is typically, passionately, extravagantly Spanish, and
with his advent, Spanish painting laid aside every trace of
Provincialism, and stepped forth to compel the interest of the
world. Neglected for many centuries, and still often misjudged, his
place in art is an assured one. It is impossible to present him as
a colourist in a work of this nature, but the author has got
together reproductions of no fewer than 140 of his pictures--a
greater number than has ever before been published of El Greco’s
works.
* * * * *
UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME
VELAZQUEZ
A BIOGRAPHY AND APPRECIATION. ILLUSTRATED WITH 142 REPRODUCTIONS FROM
PHOTOGRAPHS OF HIS MOST CELEBRATED PICTURES
Diego Rodriguez de Silva Y Velazquez--“our Velazquez,” as Palomino
proudly styles him--has been made the subject of innumerable books
in every European language, yet the Editor of this Spanish Series
feels that it would not be complete without the inclusion of yet
another contribution to the broad gallery of Velazquez literature.
The great Velazquez, the eagle in art--subtle, simple,
incomparable--the supreme painter, is still a guiding influence of
the art of to-day. This greatest of Spanish artists, a master not
only in portrait painting, but in character and animal studies, in
landscapes and historical subjects, impressed the grandeur of his
superb personality upon all his work. Spain, it has been said, the
country whose art was largely borrowed, produced Velazquez, and
through him Spanish art became the light of a new artistic life.
The author cannot boast that he has new data to offer, but he has
put forward his conclusions with modesty; he has reproduced a great
deal that is most representative of the artist’s work; and he has
endeavoured to keep always in view his object to present a concise,
accurate, and readable life of Velazquez.
UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME
ROYAL PALACES OF SPAIN
A HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT OF THE SEVEN PRINCIPAL PALACES OF
THE SPANISH KINGS. PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED
Spain is beyond question the richest country in the world in the
number of its Royal Residences, and while few are without artistic
importance, all are rich in historical memories. Thus, from the
Alcazar at Seville, which is principally associated with Pedro the
Cruel, to the Retiro, built to divert the attention of Philip IV.
from his country’s decay; from the Escorial, in which the gloomy
mind of Philip II. is perpetuated in stone, to La Granja, which
speaks of the anguish and humiliation of Christina before Sergeant
Garcia and his rude soldiery; from Aranjuéz to Rio Frio, and from
El Pardo, darkened by the agony of a good king, to Miramar, to
which a widowed Queen retired to mourn: all the history of Spain,
from the splendid days of Charles V. to the present time, is
crystallised in the Palaces that constitute the patrimony of the
Crown.
The Royal Palaces of Spain are open to visitors at stated times,
and it is hoped that this volume, with its wealth of illustrations,
will serve the visitor both as a guide and a souvenir.
* * * * *
UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME
VALLADOLID, OVIEDO, SEGOVIA, ZAMORA, AVILA AND ZARAGOZA
A HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT, WITH 390 ILLUSTRATIONS
The glory of Valladolid has departed, but the skeleton remains, and
attached to its ancient stones are the memories that Philip II. was
born here, that here Cervantes lived, and Christopher Columbus
died. In this one-time capital of Spain, in the Plaza Mayor, the
fires of the Great Inquisition were first lighted, and here Charles
V. laid the foundation of the Royal Armoury, which was afterwards
transferred to Madrid.
More than seven hundred years have passed since Oviedo was the
proud capital of the Kingdoms of Las Asturias, Leon, and Castile.
Segovia, though no longer great, has still all the appurtenances of
greatness, and with her granite massiveness and austerity, she
remains an aristocrat even among the aristocracy of Spanish cities.
Zamora, which has a history dating from time almost without date,
was the key of Leon and the centre of the endless wars between the
Moors and the Christians, which raged round it from the eighth to
the eleventh centuries.
In this volume the author has striven to re-create the ancient
greatness of these six cities, and has preserved their memories in
a wealth of excellent and interesting illustrations.
UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME
LEON, BURGOS AND SALAMANCA
A HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT, WITH 462 ILLUSTRATIONS
In Leon, once the capital of the second kingdom in Spain; in
Burgos, which boasts one of the most magnificent cathedrals in
Spain, and the custodianship of the bones of the Cid; and in
Salamanca, with its university, which is one of the oldest in
Europe, the author has selected three of the most interesting
relics of ancient grandeur in this country of departed greatness.
Leon to-day is nothing but a large agricultural village, torpid,
silent, dilapidated; Burgos, which still retains traces of the
Gotho-Castilian character, is a gloomy and depleting capital; and
Salamanca is a city of magnificent buildings, a broken hulk, spent
by the storms that from time to time have devastated her.
Yet apart from the historical interest possessed by these cities,
they still make an irresistible appeal to the artist and the
antiquary. They are content with their stories of old-time
greatness and their cathedrals, and these ancient architectural
splendours, undisturbed by the touch of a modernising and
renovating spirit, continue to attract the visitor.
* * * * *
UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME
MADRID
A HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT OF THE SPANISH CAPITAL, WITH 450
ILLUSTRATIONS
Madrid is at once one of the most interesting and most maligned
cities in Europe. It stands at an elevation of 2,500 feet above the
sea level, in the centre of an arid, treeless, waterless, and
wind-blown plain; but whatever may be thought of the wisdom of
selecting a capital in such a situation, one cannot but admire the
uniqueness of its position, and the magnificence of its buildings,
and one is forced to admit that, having fairly entered the path of
progress, Madrid bids fair to become one of the handsomest and most
prosperous of European cities.
The splendid promenades, the handsome buildings, and the spacious
theatres combine to make Madrid one of the first cities of the
world, and the author has endeavoured with the aid of the camera,
to place every feature and aspect of the Spanish metropolis before
the reader. Some of the illustrations reproduced here have been
made familiar to the English public by reason of the interesting
and stirring events connected with the Spanish Royal Marriage, but
the greater number were either taken by the author, or are the work
of photographers specially employed to obtain new views for the
purpose of this volume.
UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME
GOYA
A BIOGRAPHY AND APPRECIATION. ILLUSTRATED BY REPRODUCTIONS OF 600 OF HIS
PICTURES