Spain and the Hispanic World at the Royal Academy of Arts
Alhambra Silk, Nasrid, Granada, c. 1400, Silk, 237.5 x 152.3 cm, on loan from The Hispanic Society of America, New York, NY
“The use of soft manganese lines with bold strokes of blue and hatching in orange is characteristic of pottery from Talavera de la Reina”
“Portable writing boxes were not only status symbols and thus highly prized for their ornate decoration but were used by bureaucrats carrying out regional visits to gather information and ensure colonial rules were adhered to...”
“The information that the artwork shows a “View of the Plaza and Cathedral of Mexico as It was the Year of 1796” is wonderfully integrated into the artwork in Spanish.”
Spain and the Hispanic World at the Royal Academy of Arts
My journey along ceramic Jonah and the Whale, silk woven Alhambra tile designs and a portable Mexican laquer writing cabinet
★★★★
WRITTEN BY DR BIRGITTA HUSE, 17.01.2023
How to best approach London’s new Royal Academy of Arts exhibition that celebrates an unrivalled collection of Spanish and Latin American Art? In “Spain and the Hispanic World” over 150 treasures from the Hispanic Society Museum & Library in New York culminate in a display. The Hispanic Society Museum & Library which was founded by the collector Archer J. Huntington in 1904 is “home to the most extensive collection of Spanish and Hispanic art outside of Spain”. Now, the collection is presented in the UK for the first time.
Exquisite paintings, sculptures, silk textiles, ceramics, lustreware, silverwork, jewellery, maps, drawings and illuminated manuscripts invite to embark on a journey through time and space. The chronological “travel guideline” for the exhibition reaches from antiquity to the early 20th century and showcases a wide range of diverse cultural traits that influenced and enriched one another. Celtic, Islamic, Christian and Jewish to American, African and Asian ideas, materials and techniques have shaped Spanish culture across four millennia.
One could approach the exhibition by following the exact chronological order and by circulating each of the eight exhibition rooms clockwise or counterclockwise. Another possibility is to follow the general chronological “travel guideline” and give in to the force of attraction of certain objects. This winning of special attraction depends on individual knowledge, taste, preference and curiosity. I decided to follow certain object’s magnetism. As a result, my personal journey through “Spain and the Hispanic World” started with the Hispano-Islamic silk textiles including the Alhambra Silk, c. 1400. This Nasrid silk textile measuring 237.5 x 152.3 cm recalls the tile designs of the Alhambra palace complex in Granada – one of my favourite places in Spain. The next highlight during my exhibition journey was a fine example of tin-glazed earthenware by an unknown artist from Talavera de la Reina in Toledo, Spain, from c. 1600. “Plate with Jonah and the Whale. […] The use of soft manganese lines with bold strokes of blue and hatching in orange is characteristic of pottery from Talavera de la Reina,” I read.
Plate with Jonah and the Whale, c. 1600, Talavera de la Reina, Spain. Photograph by Birgitta Huse
If you know that my special interest is Mexico, you certainly would not be surprised to hear that I was most fascinated by exhibition displays with a Mexican origin. Of the three rooms dedicated to Colonial Latin America the first room “People and Place” as well as the second room “Decorative Arts” are an absolute treasury for me: a silk shawl with polychrome embroidery and threads wrapped with silver and gold, a huge wooden laquer tray, a painting of a young man of the Gulf coast region of Vera Cruz, animal sculptures of black micaceous clay and tin-glazed earthenware to name a few of the Mexican objects.
Working from home? To the contrary! An impressive example of an administrative paraphernalia is the portable writing cabinet, c. 1650-99, a laquer work with polychrome decoration made by an unknown artist in Peribán in the state of Michoacán, Mexico. These “portable writing boxes were not only status symbols and thus highly prized for their ornate decoration but were used by bureaucrats carrying out regional visits to gather information and ensure colonial rules were adhered to,” the exhibition signage explains.
Portable Writing Cabinet, unknown artist, c. 1650-99, Peribán, Michoacán, Mexico. Photograph by Birgitta Huse
Portable Writing Cabinet, unknown artist, c. 1650-99, Peribán, Michoacán, Mexico. Photograph by Birgitta Huse
Amongst several stunning paper works shown in the exhibition at the RAA is the Map of Tequaltiche, 1548, (Teocaltiche, Jalisco, Mexico) which was produced as part of an extensive survey of the land and people of Nueva España ordered by Philip II.
Map of Tequaltiche, Teocaltiche, Jalisco, Mexico, 1584. Watercolour and ink on paper. 86.3 x 124.5 cm. On loan from The Hispanic Society of America, New York, NY
The quality of the paper cut made by Ignacio López Aguado (Mexico, active 1810) is of such excellency that it is probably difficult to find a similar artwork elsewhere. The paper and the dark blue sateen are mounted on wood and glass. The information that the artwork shows a “View of the Plaza and Cathedral of Mexico as It was the Year of 1796” is wonderfully integrated into the artwork in Spanish.
Ignacio López Aguado (Mexico, active 1810), View of the Plaza and Cathedral of Mexico as It was the Year of 1796, 1810. Photograph by Birgitta Huse
Our Lady of the Apocalypse (Virgin of Quito), unknown artist, Ecuador, 1700 – 25, Polychrome and gilded wood. Photograph by Birgitta Huse
Finally, the wooden sculpture of “Our Lady of the Apocalypse (Virgin of Quito)”, Ecuador, left me marvelling at her posture, her facial expression and the detailed elaboration of her attire.
Anyone interested in discovering artworks of an exceptional quality and of diverse cultural origin should visit this exhibition at the RAA. Especially if you are curious not only about the interplay of Spain and the Hispanic world but also about links to Asia, you will find inspiration for further reading and research. Naturally this exhibition is a must if you want to see paintings of Goya, Velázquez, Sorrolla, Zurbarán and Zuloaga. The fact that “unknown artist” is to be read so often on the explanation near many exhibition objects serves as yet another occasion to reflect upon what art means in a context that includes many indigenous artists, which too often remain anonymous.
Overall, the exhibition shows an incredible and eclectic range of pieces – a range that may initially seem difficult to unite in one exhibition. Instead of detailed explanations on all accounts, the exhibition stimulates through its careful chronological selection.
The exhibition is organised by the Royal Academy of Arts, London. All works are on loan from the Hispanic Society of America, New York. “Spain and the Hispanic World” is curated by Per Rumberg, Curator, Royal Academy of Arts and Adrian Locke, Chief Curator, Royal Academy of Arts and Guillaume Kientz, Director, the Hispanic Society Museum & Library.
“Spain and the Hispanic World” is showing at the Royal Academy of Arts from 21.01.2023 – 10.04.2023.