SPANISH TREASURES

Hokitika Guardian, 11 April 1931, Page 6

SPANISH TREASURES

BEAUTIFUL MOORISH PALACE. WELLINGTON MANNS VISIT. “Last evening while waiting in tiiis hotel (* De I nglaterra’) who should come jn hut .lack Fraser, son ol the lale Captain Fraser. of Roxburgh Street. Wellington,” writer Mr Len McKenzie from Seville. Spain, to a Wellington friend. "I had not. seen him since he lelt Wellington during the South African War. mi you can imagine how pleased I was to renew our friendship. Together we visited the Alcazar, the home of Spanish royalty when ju Seville, l! is a very old palace of Moorish origin, which was neglected a long time, Iml Pedro the Cruel admired its intrinsic beauty and started its restoration. Not possessing the skilled labour requisite, he made arrangements with he Moorish rulers of Granada to supply the- liesi workmen, and so the restoration was carried out in real earnest. The original design was adhered to in every particular, and the most delicate colours of the mosaic work were preserved. This changed the whole, aspect, of the place and converted it into a palace of exquisite beauty. rXUIVA I/L E D A( HI FVF AI ENT. “Unfortunately, however. Pedro did not live to complete the work, and some 200 years later King Carlos, a man of artistic taste, completed the task. The result is that to-day the Alcazar stands unrivalled in its artistic splendour. “In every hall ami room the ceilings play no small part in the wondrous workmanship that stamps the whole. This is not to he wondered at. for in those days the people did not sit upright in chairs, but reclined un cushions and divans; thus their gaze was directed to the ceilings. "Every room in the palace presents a spend feature, and the earlier the workmanship involved the more beautiful il seems to he. “Many of the ceilings are of cedar inlaid with ivory. The dome in the Hall of Justice is perfect. Perhaps the most interesting are the 12 tapestries which adorn the dining hall. They were made in 1535 to the order of Charles V to celebrate his victories over the Turks, and the capture of Tunis. The artistic excellence of these lapcMries played no small part in creating the fame of the Belgian craftsmen. The silks were provided by Granada, the gold thread by Milan, and the oaintiiigs from which they were woven wen* by Juan Veruniy. while the work was personally supervised h.v Charles of Glteni and his sister. Mary of Hungary. REM\R Is A BLE TAPE STB I F.S. “The first tapestry depicts the whole of tlie Mediterranean sea and its coastlines ; i.'ne second is a review of the Spanish troops at Barcelona before embarking for service abroad; the third is the entry into Utica (Carthage of old); tlie fourth, the attack oil La (loleta ; the fifth, the combat before La Goleta ; th" sixth and seventh also refer to the La Goleta campaign; Ihe eighth represents the battle of Los Po/.os at Tunis; number nine is the rape of that eilv: number ten the cmharkmenl with the spoil; eleven the Emperor embarking at La Goleta: and the twelfth the Spanish army encamped a' Tunis with its spoil. "Itiside the dipnoi at Hie end of tlm vast hall are four other tarr’-stries of lusl roits beauty, valued at 3.000.000 pesetas nuMt. Admittedly 'these are tin l finest tapestries in Europe. \ j happened to lie sneaking with a British captain ol Horse Artillery as l ; stood before them. He was simple j i'-seinated with the perfeHioii of the art Nirv, pointing out the period lines , •:n,i Points of the horses depicted i l ' \ the amazing fabric, and concluding that j the drawing of the pirture alone would j have meant fame to the artist