The Industrial Arts in Spain Part 48

1522. Campa, Juan Toledo.

1674. Chilberri, Pierres de Segovia.

1509. Cuesta, Juan de Toledo.

1513. Cordova, Gonzalo de Toledo.

1538. Cotin, Gaspar de Burgos.

1459. Cristoval, El Maestro Toledo.

1566 to } Dangles, Sebastian Mallorca.

1573 } 1676. Danis, Juan Segovia.

1565. Diaz, Diego Escorial.

1418. Dolfin, El Maestro Toledo.

1485. Enrique, Maestro Toledo.

1566. Estaenheyl, Ulrrique Madrid.

1565. Espinosa, Francisco de Escorial.

1565. Espinosa, Hernando de Escorial.

1551. Ferrera, Rodrigo de Leon.

1526. Fernandez, Pedro Sevilla.

1557. Flandes, Arnao de Sevilla.

1494. Fontanet, Gil Barcelona.

1459. Frances, Pedro Toledo.

1571. Galceran, Il Maestro Escorial.

1518. Gelandia, Bernardino de Sevilla.

1608. Guillermo, Maestro Leon.

1571. Guasch, Juan Tarragona.

1674. Herranz, Francisco Segovia.

1520. Holanda, Alberto de Burgos.

1548. Holanda, Geraldo de Cuenca.

1535. Holanda, Nicolas de Burgos.

1509. Jacques, Juan Sevilla.

1427. Juan, Maestro Burgos.

1510. Juan, Hijo de Jacobo Sevilla.

1458. Juanico Toledo.

1428. Loys, Maestro Toledo.

1600. Ludeque, Diego de Madrid.

1569. Menandro, Vicente Sevilla.

1538. Ortega, Alonso de Toledo.

1534. Ortega, Juan de Toledo.

1458. Pablo, Fray Toledo.

1459. Pedro, Maestro Toledo.

1639. Perez, Sebastian Leon.

1559. Pesquera, Sebastian de Sevilla.

1600. Pierres, Antonio Madrid.

---- Resen, Pelegrin ---- 1565. Resen, Renerio Madrid.

1500. Rolando, Alberto de Avila.

1500. Rolando, Nicolas de Avila.

1624. Ruiz, Valentin Burgos.

1625. Ruiz, Simon Burgos.

1368-- } Sacoma, Francisco Mallorca.

1369. } 1420 to } Sala, Antonio Mallorca.

1447. } 1542. Salcedo, Diego de Palencia.

1512. Santillana, Diego Palencia.

1498. Santillana, Juan de Burgos.

1392. San Amat, Juan Lerida.

1503. Troya, Vasco de Toledo.

1579. Valerio, Octavio Malaga.

1562. Valdivieso, Diego de Cuenca.

1497. Valdivieso, Juan Burgos.

1538. Vergara, Arnao de Sevilla.

1521. Vergara, Nicolas de Burgos.

1606. Vergara, Nicolas de, El Mozo Toledo.

1574. Vergara, Nicolas de, el Viejo Toledo.

1590. Vegara, Juan de Toledo.

1518. Vivan, Juan Sevilla.

1605. Volui, Gil Leon.

1509. Ximenez, Alexo Toledo.

1458. Ximeno. Toledo.

TEXTILE FABRICS.

The silence of San Isidoro on the subject of textile fabrics in Spain would lead us to suppose that this industry only became important during the Arab domination; the Moors probably imported this industry into Spain from the earliest times of their conquest. A great number of provinces were famed then for the excellence of their textile fabrics; the most important of them, according to the testimony of Moorish and Christian writers, was Almeria. The Cordovese historian, Ash Shakandi, who wrote at the beginning of the 13th century, says: "Almeria is an opulent and magnificent city, whose fame has spread far and wide; the inhabitants are very elegant in their dress. Almeria is the greatest mart in Andalus, Christians of all nations came to its port to buy and sell, and they had factories established in it. From thence the Christian merchants who came to its port travelled to other parts in the interior of the country, where they loaded their vessels with such goods as they wanted. Costly silken robes of the brightest colours are manufactured in Almeria," [Moh. Dyn. in Spain, I. 52]. Almakkari adds, [p. 51]: "But what made Almeria superior to any other city in the world was its various manufactures of silks and other articles of dress, such as the _dibaj_ [silken stuff of many colours], a sort of silken cloth surpa.s.sing in quality and durability anything else manufactured in other countries; the _tiraz_ or costly stuff on which the names of sultans, princes, and other wealthy individuals are inscribed, and of which no less than 800 looms existed at one time; of more inferior articles such as the _holol_ (striped silks) and brocades, there were 1000 looms, the same number were continually employed in weaving the stuffs called _iskalaton_ (scarlet). There were also 1000 for weaving robes called Al jorjani (Georgian), and another 1000 for weaving robes called Isbahani, from Isfahan, and a similar number for Atabi. The manufacture of damask for curtains and turbans for the women, of gay and dazzling colours, employed a number of hands equal to that of those engaged in the manufacture of the above mentioned articles."

An oriental author a.s.serts that Abd-ul-Rahman II. A.D. 825-852 was the first sultan of his race who introduced into Spain the use of the _tiraz_ [_ib._ Vol. II. 434]. Another explains that Atabi took the name of a suburb of Bagdad "where were made the stuffs called _otabi_, composed of cotton and silk of different colours." [Consult Dozy, 'Dict.

des vetements.']

Ash Shakandi also mentions Malaga as famous for its textile fabrics; he says--"Malaga is also famous for its manufactures of silks of all colours and patterns, some of which are so rich that a suit made out of them will cost many thousands; such are the brocades with beautiful drawings, and the names of khalifs, amirs, and other wealthy people, woven in them." [Moham. Dynast. Vol. I. 49.] Further on the same writer adds, "As at Malaga and Almeria, there are at Murcia several manufactures of silken cloth called _al was.h.i.+u thalathat_, [variegated, of many colours.] It is likewise famous for the fabric of carpets called _tantili_, which are exported to all countries of the east and west; as also a sort of mat, of the brightest colours, with which the Murcians cover the walls of their houses." [_ib._ p. 69.]

Arabic texts are frequently met with which allude to the manufactures of textile fabrics of Granada, Seville, and other towns, in which their productions are praised, and there is no doubt that they were very remarkable; for Christian authors of the middle ages refer to them so continually. Students who wish for a more extensive idea of this subject must remember the quotations and information given by Francisque Michel concerning Spanish stuffs, [Recherches sur le Comm., la Fabric. etc., des Etoffes, etc. Paris, 1852.] He tells us--"Nous trouverons tout d'abord les pailles d'Almerie, ville de la cote meridionale d'Espagne, qui jouissait d'une reputation proverbiale pour la beaute et la finesse de ses tissus de soie, vantes dans mille endroits de nos vieilles chansons de geste, de nos anciens poemes" [Vol. I. p. 284]. Further on he continues [Vol. I. p. 286], "a l'epoque a laquelle appartiennent les textes, et meme auparavant, la culture et la fabrication de la soie etaient des plus prosperes a Almerie et en general dans le royaume de Grenade. 'Du royaume de Grenade vient cire, soie, figues, etc.' ... ce qu'il y a de bien certain, c'est que les etoffes d'Espagne etaient celebres des le 9^{e} siecle. Anastase le Bibliothecaire en parle en quatre endroits sous le nom de _spanisc.u.m_; et en placant ce tissu a la suite de _fundatum_ et du _stauracin_ il nous donne suffisamment a entendre qu'il etait de grand prix, et de soie comme eux. Un biographe de Saint Ansegise, mort en 835, place de meme une couverture d'Espagne, _stragulum_, _Hispanic.u.m unum_, a la suite de tapis ou teintures.

"Il est malaise de determiner la matiere des etoffes qu'un ecrivain byzantin du 12^{e} siecle nous dit fabriquees en Espagne et aux colonnes d'Hercule--tout nous permet de croire qu'elles etaient de soie de tout ou en partie, ou du moins qu'elles etaient comptees parmi les tissus precieux.... Saragosse produisait aussi des draps d'or--et nous trouvons au 13^{e} siecle que le geographe Edrisi pouvait dire qu'il y avait dans le seul territoire de Jaen 3000 villages ou l'on elevait des vers de soie. Nous savons qu'a Seville, sous la domination des Maures, elle comptait 6000 metiers pour ces etoffes de soie. Les reglements munic.i.p.aux dont les royaumes de Grenade et de Seville ont ete l'objet suffisaient pour nous apprendre que l'industrie de la soie fut florissante durant le moyen age. Nous signalerons les draps d'or et de soie que D. Pedro de Luna en 1327 apporta a l'infante Leonore, sur d'Alphonse XI., a l'occasion de son mariage, et nous savons qu'un ministre de Pedro le cruel possedait a Toledo 125 coffres de drap d'or et de soie."

Edrisi in his "Descrip. de l'Afrique et de l'Espagne," [Leyde, 1866,]

writing in the 12th century, says p. 239: "Almerie etait la ville princ.i.p.ale des Musulmans a l'Espagne des moravides. Elle etait alors tres industrieuse, et on y comptait entre autres 800 metiers a tisser la soie, ou l'on fabriquait des etoffes connus sous le nom de _holla_, de _debady_, de _siglaton_, d'_espahani_, de _djordjani_: des rideaux ornes de fleurs, des etoffes ornes de clous, de pet.i.ts tapis, des etoffes connus sous les noms de _attabi_, de _mi djar_."

To complete this historical information, and especially in order to add details as to the technical character of this manufacture, the Rev.

Daniel Rock's interesting introduction to "Textile Fabrics, a Descriptive Catalogue, London, 1870," must be consulted; although, notwithstanding the learned author's remarks, it is extremely difficult, in my opinion, to cla.s.sify textile fabrics proceeding from Syria, Sicily, or the Spanish Arabs, as all, whether imitations or originals, are similar in manufacture.

M. Michel and Dr. Rock enter into numerous details concerning the ancient names of stuffs, and in order further to ill.u.s.trate this subject I venture to propose a different etymology than the one given by these writers of the word Samit, Samitum, or Xamet, which, although slightly different in orthography, is met with everywhere in Europe. My opinion is that it means stuff made at Damascus, for the word Sham [Ill.u.s.tration: Arabic writing] is applied to the name of this town as well as to that of Syria, and the appellative Shami and Shamit [Ill.u.s.tration: Arabic writing] appears in the lexicon to express what comes from Damascus or Syria.

The oldest specimen which I know of Spanish Arab textile fabric, is a woollen fragment of very fine quality embroidered in colours, which is at the Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid. It is about 1 yards long, by 18 inches wide. In medallions embroidered in silks are represented seated figures which appear to be a king, a lady, lions, birds, and quadrupeds. In two borders occurs the following inscription, repeated in cufic characters: "In the name of G.o.d, clement and merciful: The blessing of G.o.d and happiness for the caliph Iman Abdallah Hixem, favoured of G.o.d, prince of believers."

[Ill.u.s.tration: Arabic]

Hixem reigned from A.D. 979 until the first years of the 11th century.

This fragment was found inside a small casket on the altar of a church in the town of San Esteban de Gormaz, province of Soria, where it was probably taken as a war trophy: it may be cla.s.sified as a stuff called _tiraz_ [Ill.u.s.tration: Arabic], the skirt of a robe. An oriental author tells us that among the customs which contribute to give splendour to sovereignty is that of putting the name, or some other sign belonging to kings on the stuffs of their robes; that these inscriptions are woven into the material with gold or coloured thread of a different hue to the ground, and that royal robes were always made of _tiraz._ The caliphs of Cordova had a place set apart in their palaces where this stuff was kept: this custom lasted until the 11th century when it disappeared, and was re-established in the 13th century with the kings of Granada. (Moh.

Dyn. vol. i., pp. 356 and 397; Mus. Esp. de Ant. vol. vi. pp. 464 and 465.)

Another most important object, although less ancient than the former one, is an Arabian banner which is traditionally believed to have been taken from the Almohades at the battle of Las Navas, A.D. 1212. This banner, which is preserved at the monastery of Las Huelgas of Burgos, is ten feet high by seven feet three inches wide. It is made of a crimson stuff, covered with an ornamentation woven and embroidered in gold and colours. In the centre is a large circle, placed within a square, which is enlarged in parallel bands. The four largest bands, which are also the last, are covered with inscriptions in blue African characters. The upper part of this banner is prolonged with several bands, one of which has inscriptions of a similar kind to those already mentioned; other borders contain several sentences in small African letters. The lower part is also prolonged and is terminated by eight points cut in a semicircle, inside which there are discs with illegible inscriptions.