The Royal Academy is currently running a unique exhibition of items from the Hispanic Society. It's not always that the word ‘treasure’ is justified but this is truly the case with the opulent display of objects from pre-historic Spain to modern days. The exhibition is arranged chronologically covering all eras of Spanish development including its colonial past, which is carefully addressed from all angles, but more on this below.
Hispanic Society of America was founded in 1908 by Archer M. Huntington with the aim of displaying the culture of Spain and Latin America across all disciplines from painting and sculpture to decorative arts and crafts. The library and museum boast a vast collection of rare manuscripts from the Middle Ages onwards with some beautiful illuminated examples on display at the RA currently. Under the direction of its founder the Society built up a collection from the prehistoric era to the early twentieth century going as far as commissioning works from Spanish artists prominent at the time, including Joaquin Sorolla.
Huntington’s memories from his first trip to Louvre perfectly summarise my own experience of visiting the RA exhibition:
There was something about all of these mysterious objects that stirred and excited me. It was like a rapid visit to many countries, and meeting strange people, and walking in new landscapes.
The exhibition at the RA covers a vast array of objects fully immersing its visitors in all things Spanish, Mexican and Latin American. It is almost impossible to select the most notable objects and the uniqueness of this exhibition lies in the breadth of items presented offering something to everyone. The first room is dedicated to pre-historic Spain and includes bell-shaped ceramics from the Iberian Peninsula but the star of this display is jewellery from the Palencia Hoard (c.172-50 BC) showing bracelets, torques and fibula, all part of a collection of Celtiberian metalwork. The exquisiteness of the metalwork makes it hard to believe its age. Some believe the items were part of the pre-historic dowry, whilst others think that it adorned the world of clay statues. Another unusual item in the room is a Double wick lamp with a Mask of Pan from the first century AD which was probably used for pagan rituals. Again, the metalwork is beautiful and detailed, in particular in grapevines next to Pan’s head.
Two examples of Alhambra Silk (c. 1400) can be found in the next room. The silks are so named because they recall the tile designs of the Alhambra of Granada and feature a characteristic technique of using yellow silk to achieve the effect of gold. The rest of the room is dedicated to various examples of ironwork.
Religion has for centuries been at the forefront of the Spanish kingdom and the exhibition features multiple objects of religious devotion. It includes examples of polychrome wood sculptures- a medium particularly popular in Spain and Portugal aimed at showing the suffering of Christ and Saints in particular graphic details and offering a vivid illustration of Biblical events. Among the sculptures there are two examples by Andre de Mena (1654-1734) – a female sculptor who worked in Malaga whilst living at the convent of St Anne. She is one of the few female Spanish sculptors of polychrome who entered the profession through the patronage of their sculptor father. Our lecturer Sara has spoken about the world of polychrome wood in one of her lectures from the Seventeen Artists series talking about the career path of women in the field.
The collection holds paintings by almost every major artist of their period and can rival one of any major museum. The current exhibition features pieces by El Greco, including an extremely rare miniature by him.
Another spectacular piece included is St Emerentiana by Francisco de Zurbarán. It is a beautiful and tender painting that shows the saint who was stoned to death by a pagan mob when she went to pray at the tomb of St Agnes. The saint was widely venerated in Spain. St Emerentiana is shown as a devout woman with a reflective gaze. Zurbarán painted her dress in incredible detail almost transmitting its texture. Her pink cape and green sleeves reflect the light through the careful folds so technically and beautifully rendered by the artist. The painting is one of the true highlights of this already incredible exhibition.
A whole room is dedicated to Francisco Goya and features one of his most famous works - Portrait of the Duchess of Alba showing the 13th Duchess in mourning. She wears two rings, one inscribed ‘Alba’ and another as ‘Goya’ indicating her close connection to the artist. He kept the painting throughout his life in his studio. The painting also bears an inscription ‘Solo Goya.’ The word ‘solo’ was initially hidden and was only found by restorers and later revealed.
The exhibition features multiple pieces from Mexico and Latin America paying attention to the impact the colonization had on the countries. The Spanish created a caste system where all citizens of the colonies were ranked with the native population placed in the lowest caste. The display features one of the earliest paintings illustrating the caste system. Such works were particular favoured by Spanish colonial administrators who ruled through invoking racial stereotypes. The exhibition further addresses how the colonization brough devastated the region by bringing European diseases and overthrowing local governments.
There is another unusual side of the colonization addressed by the display. In addition to addressing the horrors caused by the Spanish invasion, the exhibition speaks about how local craftsmen introduced their materials and works to the colonisers and how such items became highly praised by them. Bringing items from Europe was incredibly expensive resulting in the surge of demand of luxury items produced in the colonies or brough from Manila. Interestingly, the demand was not solely for European items, but incorporated local items which began to represent the height of luxury. One such item was local lacquer which was used to produce luxurious writing cabinets. Various examples from different countries are included in the exhibition featuring local lacquer techniques and incorporation of silver leaf.
Another unique medium included is Enconchado – paintings on wood inlaid with mother-of-pearl. They emerged in the late seventeen century in Mexico and were inspired by Japanese Nanban lacquer works. They were highly prized luxury items and represent a very unusual mix between an oil painting and an inlaid object with often only faces and hands created in oil.
Another local painting technique shown came from Cusco (but not limited to the city) and involves painting elaborate gold details across the surface of the canvas, particularly over textiles, providing an eye-catching and luxurious finish. These two techniques were highly sought after and represented luxurious devotional objects driven by local techniques and craftsmen.
The last rooms are dedicated to early 20th century representing the two opposite sides of their collection representing Spain of the time - one sunlit and happy in the works of Sorolla and the other darker and serious by Jose Gutierrez Solana and Ignacio Zuloaga. Huntington not only purchased works by the artists, but also sponsored exhibitions by Sorolla and Zuloaga. He also commissioned two projects from Sorolla. Vision of Spain aimed to depict various regions of the country and its copy is the last item in the exhibition offering a perfect finish to such a vast display.
The exhibition at the Royal Academy is definitely a must-visit for everyone as it appeals to every taste and sense through its multitude of objects and periods covered. The curators did a tremendous job illustrating the history of Spain chronologically addressing its most significant periods without shying away from controversy and touching on the painful parts of history. The exhibition does justice to masters in all fields of arts and celebrates local artists from various countries. The exhibition runs until 10 April 2023 and is open late on Fridays. I would highly recommend a visit to anyone interested in history and art.
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