The Industrial Arts in SpainRiaño, Juan F. (Juan Facundo)
History
The Industrial Arts in Spain
Riaño, Juan F. (Juan Facundo)
Decorative arts -- Spain -- History; Pottery -- Spain -- History
We know, from documents existing at the Archives of the Alhambra, at
Granada, that tiles were made there at the end of the 16th and beginning
of the 17th century. We find the names of Antonio Tenorio, Gaspar
Hernandez, and Pedro Tenorio working there at that time as master
potters.
The use of these _azulejos_ was not restricted to Moorish buildings;
they were largely employed to decorate the walls of Christian churches,
convents, palaces, and private houses. The style of work, however, soon
changed, for instead of being made of mosaic work, they were formed of a
single piece like the ordinary tiles, but imitating the Moorish colours.
In the 16th century designs of the Renaissance style alternated with
these, although the system and colouring continued the same. This style
continued in vogue until the expulsion of the Moriscos in 1610. A fine
collection may be seen at the South Kensington Museum of 200 tiles, in
which upwards of 150 varieties of design will be found, Nos. 308-'66 and
367-'66. Their chief characteristic is that only pure colours are used
without gradations or half tints. Lustred reflets are very seldom met
with in tiles; the only examples I know are two beautiful plaques of the
14th century of a pale lustre which are on either side of the entrance
door of the Moorish saloon called Cuarto Real de S^{to}. Domingo, at
Granada; some small polygons of copper-coloured lustre at the Tower of
la Cautiva, Granada: some few details in the coats of arms which are let
into the tiles which adorn the walls of the Chapel at the Alhambra, and
some few tiles with the arms of the Mendozas at the Casa de Pilatos,
Seville.
A few dishes belong also to the 15th century, ornamented with the same
colouring as the tiles without metallic lustre, and generally decorated
with fantastic animals. They are very scarce. Two examples exist at the
South Kensington Museum, Nos. 1459 and 1461-'70. They probably were made
at Seville; all those I have seen come from there, and we know that the
pottery from Seville was much esteemed. In Pedro de Medina's "Libro de
Grandezas y Cosas Memorables de España," Sevilla, 1549, fol. Iii., he
says, "In this town of Triana much excellent pottery of Malaga is made,
coloured white and yellow, and of different sorts and kinds. This
pottery is made in about fifty houses, and it is exported from here to
many localities. In the same manner excellent _azulejos_ are made, of
great variety of colour and design. And likewise fine reliefs of men
and other things. Great quantities of these _azulejos_ are taken to
different localities."
At the introduction of Italian forms of art in Spain, at the beginning
of the 16th century, artistic pottery divided itself into two
schools--one kept to the traditional designs and strong tones of colour,
the other used shaded colours, and especially yellow and blue tints, at
times imitating Italian maiolica, but always following the decoration
characteristic of the Renaissance style.
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