- A wealth of Hispano-Moresque silk textiles and woollen carpets, including special access to some collections not normally open to the public.
- Also visits world-class museums, from the Gulbenkian in Lisbon to the Prado, and some of Spain’s most beautiful cities.
- Led by Gijs van Hensbergen, art historian and author specialising in Spain.
- Carefully-selected 4- and 5-star accommodation throughout.
INTRODUCTION
Lisbon, watercolour, publ 1932.
HALI is a UK-based quarterly magazine specialising in the antique textile arts of the world. As co-organiser it brings its unique, informed perspective to this Iberian tour.
During the late Middle Ages, Renaissance and the mythic Golden Age, Spain and Portugal spent almost one tenth of their national wealth on architectural extravagances and the decorative arts. Despite the ravages of wars and internal turmoil, the region still houses a treasure trove of glorious masterpieces. Having divided world trade in 1494 at the Treaty of Tordesillas, the two countries became Europe’s front door to the Indies and the New World.
During the late Middle Ages, Renaissance and the mythic Golden Age, Spain and Portugal spent almost one tenth of their national wealth on architectural extravagances and the decorative arts. Despite the ravages of wars and internal turmoil, the region still houses a treasure trove of glorious masterpieces. Having divided world trade in 1494 at the Treaty of Tordesillas, the two countries became Europe’s front door to the Indies and the New World.
The European Catholic heritage is vividly expressed through many of the Flemish and Spanish tapestries to be seen during the tour. In addition, Spain and Portugal share a rich history of sophisticated Islamic influence. This is seen in a wealth of fabulous Hispano-Moresque silk textiles and woollen carpets.
Madrid’s Instituto Valencia de Don Juan houses the 15th-century ‘Admiral’ carpets, made by Muslim weavers for high officials of the Spanish state. Then there are the rare textile relics of the final years of Nasrid domination of the Iberian Peninsula preserved in Spanish Church treasuries. In Portugal we find two important institutional collections of classical oriental carpets: Persian, Indian, Turkish and Caucasian pieces collected by the Armenian entrepreneur and philanthropist Calouste Gulbenkian, and the extensive holdings of mainly Esfahan carpets, imported from Persia during the 17th and 18th centuries.
The Decorative Arts of Iberia takes a journey from the glimmering tiles of the Manueline Gothic of Portugal to the restrained honey sandstone of Castile and the austerity of the Escorial’s cold granite walls. From the Gulbenkian to the Prado we visit some of the greatest museums in the world.
What sets The Decorative Arts of Iberia apart is its focus on works that should be far better known. In Madrid’s Museo Lazaro Galdiano sits the bronze feline jug from the legendary kingdom of Tartassus. In Toledo, the rarely exhibited tapestry of The Astrolabes has a back story that could make a Hollywood film. In Pastrana in Quixote’s La Mancha we encounter the greatest Gothic tapestries, recently restored in Belgium, depicting Alfonso V of Portugal’s sacking of Tangiers. From majolica to Meissen, from La Granja glass to the great gazelle vases manufactured for the Nasrid Alhambra, The Decorative Arts of Iberia offers a cornucopia of treasures that is the envy of the world.
ITINERARY
DAY 1
Lisbon. Meet for a light lunch before a visit to the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga with 15th- and 16th-century Portuguese works of art as well as textiles, displayed in a handsome palace. First of two nights in Lisbon.
DAY 2
Lisbon. Most of the day is dedicated to the Gulbenkian Museum, an outstanding private art collection given to the city of Lisbon and beautifully displayed in a modern building. Continue to the Castelo de São Jorge, an Arab castle conquered by the Christians in 1147, embellished over centuries by Portugal’s kings, destroyed and now restored. Descend with views of the labyrinthine Alfama to the Romanesque cathedral. Once fortified, later on much remodelled, it has a fascinating and important archaeological site in its cloister.
DAY 3
Lisbon, Madrid. Fly at c. 11.15am from Lisbon to Madrid (Iberia Airlines). In the afternoon visit the recently renovated Archaeological Museum, good on Iberian civilizations and Roman Spain, and the perfect introduction to subsequent visits focussing on the decorative arts. First of six nights in Madrid.
DAY 4
Madrid. Morning visit to the Royal Tapestry Factory, founded in 1721 by Phillip V with designs by Goya, many of which are still reproduced today. Continue to the Royal Palace, also built by order or Phillip V, with tapestries and carpets from the 15th to 18th centuries. The visit includes access to areas not normally open to the public and the tapestry storeroom. In the afternoon visit the church of San Antonio de la Florida, with beautiful frescoes by Goya. Dinner takes the form of a tapas walk, with the option to attend a flamenco show.
DAY 5
Madrid. Visit the Museum of Decorative Arts, with a collection of some of the most well preserved carpets in Spain from Cuenca and Alcaraz, ranging from the 15th to 18th centuries. Continue to the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales with tapestries woven to designs by Rubens. The afternoon is free for independent exploration of Madrid.
DAY 6
Toledo. Crammed onto the crown of a river-girt promontory, Toledo displays the masonry residue of a greater mix of peoples and civilizations than perhaps any other city in the world. The Cristo de la Luz mosque dates from 999 and is one of the earliest surviving examples of Moorish architecture in Spain, while the Synagogue of El Tránsito contains impressive Mudéjar decoration. The church of Santo Tomé has El Greco’s Burial of Count Orgaz, his greatest work (private view). See more of his work and his burial place at the convent of Sto Domingo. The Gothic cathedral is Spain’s largest and the most richly endowed with paintings (El Greco, Velázquez, Titian) and a large collection of tapestries from Europe. Toledo’s unique 15th-cent. tapestry of the Astrolabes, probably produced in Tournai is both a perplexing riddle and an esoteric masterpiece. It is displayed in the Museum of Santa Cruz, a fine Plateresque building.
DAY 7
Madrid. Private morning visit to the museum of the Instituto Valencia de Don Juan, housing a collection that includes Islamic tapestries from the 15th-century as well as an impressive collection of ceramics and other decorative arts. Continue to the Lázaro Galdiano museum with works by El Greco, Goya and Murillo. Spend the afternoon at the Prado, which is among the world’s greatest art galleries, concentrating on the Spanish school.
DAY 8
Pastrana, Cuenca. All-day excursion to see some of the finest surviving Gothic tapestries at Pastrana, depicting the conquests in Morocco by Alfonso V, King of Portugal (1432–1481). Continue to Cuenca, whose old town sits high on a narrow ridge bound by rivers, the castle ramparts at the top affording spectacular views. The predominantly Gothic cathedral has Plateresque portals and carved wooden ceilings. One museum has two works by El Greco, another has Roman remains and an extensive collection of carpets from the Cuenca school of the 16th-18th centuries.
DAY 9
Zamora, Burgos. On the Roman road that connected Astorga to Mérida, Zamora rose to importance during the Reconquista as a bastion on the Duero front. Much of its Romanesque architecture survives, including the cathedral of Byzantine influence. The cathedral museum contains many Flemish tapestries from the 15th and 16th centuries. Continue to Burgos for the first of two nights.
DAY 10
Burgos. Full day in the early capital of Castile, whose cathedral combines French and German Gothic styles and has remarkable vaults and 16th-century choir stalls. On the outskirts is the convent of Las Huelgas Reales with its important early Gothic church and a museum of exceptional medieval textiles taken from the Royal tombs. Afternoon excursion to the charming mediaeval town of Medina de Pomar with fine Romanesque churches and the Fortress of the Constables of Castile. Private visit to the Monastery of Santa Clara, founded in 1313, with a splendid, 15th century Spanish Holbein carpet.
DAY 11
Sepúlveda, Segovia. Drive to Segovia, via the charming town of Sepúlveda, whose Romanesque church affords dramatic views of the valley below. Built on a steep-sided hill, Segovia is one of the loveliest cities in Spain and architecturally one of the most richly endowed. An afternoon walk includes the cathedral, a soaring Gothic structure, and the restored Alcázar (castle), dramatically perched at the prow of the hill. The remarkable Roman aqueduct is one of the biggest in Europe. First of two nights in Segovia.
DAY 12
Segovia, La Granja. Free morning; suggestions include the contemporary art museum of Esteban Vicente and the Museum of Segovia. Drive to La Granja de San Ildefonso, the palace constructed for Philip V in the early 18th century, with magnificent formal gardens and Flemish tapestries.
DAY 13
El Escorial. This vast retreat-cum-palace-cum-monastery-cum-pantheon was built from 1563 to 1584 for Philip II, successfully embodying his instructions for ‘nobility without arrogance, majesty without ostentation, severity in the whole’. The coach continues to the hotel NH Palacio de Tepa, Madrid, arriving c. 2.30pm. It continues to Madrid Barajas airport, arriving c. 3.30pm.
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