Diego Fernández Castro (1847-1920s), XIXth century

  Despite the fact Spain stayed out of the Grand Tour destinations, from the XIXth century the increasing interest for Orientalism situated the country inside the circuit of European travellers, attracted by the Islamic art they could discover in the South of Spain, avoiding to leave the continent. The Alhambra of Granada became during the XIXth century the romantic destination par excellence, whose glorious past every European adventurer and intellectual wished to discover. Consequently, an important handcrafted industry of  the best Nasrid art souvenirs developped outside the monument, the scale models of the Alhambra being the best luxurious acquisitions to be made by foreigners visiting Granada. Amongst the most important workshops, the one lead by Diego Fernández Castro was renowned for the accuracy of details and the richness of the polychromy.

 

This piece stands out, appart from its excelent condition, for being a three-dimensional example of appreciable dimensions.

 

Reference Bibliography: "Las maquetas de la Alhambra en el siglo XIX: Una fuente de difusión y de información acerca del conjunto Nazarí." Asunción González Pérez Tesis doctoral codirigida por las Dras. Concepción Abad Castro y Mariam Rosser-Owen.(Departamento de Historia y Teoría del Arte.Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.Marzo 2017).

 

Purchased by the Museum of The Alhambra, Granada.