21 August 2013

Global Seminars & Invited Speaker Series

AROUND THE EXHIBITION: "STARS AND LILIES OF THE BAROQUE OF ESTELLA".

Art, promoters and artists: Estella in the 18th century

Ms. Pilar Andueza Unanua.
Chairof Navarrese Heritage and Art

The urban layout of the town of Estella, as well as some of its most important buildings, reveal its medieval origins and its historical developmentlinked to the Pilgrim's Way to Santiago de Compostela. However, on this Romanesque and Gothic base, other artistic styles were subsequently established, especially the Baroque, the traces of which are still clearly visible today.

If the 17th century accentuated the monastic and conventual character of the city of Ega, thanks to the new monasteries built by the Poor Clares and Benedictine nuns in Los Llanos, the Age of Enlightenment was decisive for the configuration finalof its town planning and witnessed the construction of important religious and civil buildings, while all its churches were enriched with rich liturgical vestments and outstanding altarpieces. This process of transformation was influenced by various factors such as the developmentdemography, the economic flourishing of the city, the presence of a powerful artistic centre, the deep religious convictions of its inhabitants, as well as, more specifically, the arrival of money or pieces of art from America.

In the religious sphere, Estella was enriched at the beginning of the 18th century with the construction of the Convent of the Conceptionist Recollects under the direction of Paula María de Aguirre y Beroiz at board of trustees. Following the models of the Conceptionist convent of Ágreda, it was built from 1688 onwards on the outskirts of the town with designs by the prestigious French master builder Juan Raón. Financial problems delayed the completion of the building, whose church was solemnly consecrated in 1731. The Latin cross church has a magnificent façade in the Vignolesque style of post-Tridentine art, presided over by the Immaculate Conception. 

Convent of the Conceptionist Recollects
 

The religious devotions of the time also led the people of Estella to reform the chapels of their patron saints, a very common phenomenon in Spain at the time. This can be seen in the enlargement of the basilica of Nuestra Señora de Rocamador (1691) or in the Baroque basilica of Nuestra Señora del Puy, which no longer exists, and the extraordinary refurbishment of the chapel of San Andrés in the parish of San Pedro de la Rúa. In 1699 Miguel Iturmendi rebuilt the orange averagewhich was profusely decorated by Vicente López Frías, the most important master sculptor of the Estella focus at that time. The chapel was closed with a magnificent grille made in 1706 by one of the most important blacksmiths in the north of Spain, the Guipuzcoan Antonio de Elorza, and was presided over by a rococo altarpiece to house the relics of the titular saint, stolen in 1979, which, together with the credentials, show us the delicacy and finesse typical of rococo.

Chapel of San Andrés
San Pedro de la Rúa Parish Church
 

Eighteenth-century works also affected the parish churches which, although of medieval origin, underwent some alterations. Examples include the rebuilding of the walls and the construction of the brick tower in 1718 in the parish church of San Miguel or the façades of Santa María Jus del Castillo and San Pedro de Lizarra. More significant is the liturgical trousseau and the furniture with which the churches of Estella were endowed in the 18th century. We should mention the monumental Baroque altarpiece that presides over the parish church of San Miguel, carved from 1734 with traces by Juan Ángel Nagusia, an important figure in Navarrese altarpieces from the 1930s and 1940s. For its part, the parish church of San Juan housed the Churrigueresque altarpieces of Santiago and Santo Tomás, which came from the gouges of Lucas de Mena in the early years of the century. Later, in 1765, Miguel de Garnica made the Rococo masonry of the twin altarpieces dedicated to Saint Joseph and the Virgin of the Torches, paid for by an anonymous devotee, while the images were commissioned to Lucas de Mena y Martínez, who captured the elegance learned at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, where he was enrolled.
 

Altarpiece of the Virgin of the Torches. Detail
Miguel de Garnica. 1765
Parish Church of San Juan
 

The art of silverware, present in parish churches and convents, is a chapter of the artistic panorama of Estella: A. A large and rich collection of 18th-century works has survived to the present day, with various typologies, including trays or trays from the civil sphere. They come from workshops in Estella, where the silversmiths José and Manuel Ventura were outstanding, but there are also pieces from other peninsular silversmiths such as Zaragoza or Córdoba, according to their punches, and even from America, such as the chalice of the Conceptionists and a ciborium of the Poor Clares from Mexico City, sent by Miguel Francisco Gambarte in the middle of the century. The basilica of Le Puy has some precious Peruvian vases with their trays. Also worthy of note for the decoration of the Marian image, although of national origin, is a Baroque rostrillo decorated with leaves and semi-precious stones and a Rococo halo composed of clouds, cherubs, rocailles, the image of the Eternal Father and an elegant border of rays topped with stars.

Although the 18th century did not notably modify the medieval town planning of Estella, it left a substantial mark that can still be seen in its domestic architecture and especially in its stately architecture. Following the typical trend of the area averageof Navarre, this architecture received influences from both the north of Navarre, from where the use of stone came, and from La Ribera, from where the brick employmentwas taken. For this reason, the most common were buildings with the ground plan leaveerected in ashlar, while the three, four and even five storeys used brick. Among all these buildings, the large mansions built by wealthy families stand out, both for their use of cultured architectural elements and for their location in the urban and ceremonial layout of the city, as they are situated in the most significant urban spaces of the city: the placede los Fueros and the Calle Mayor.

The placede los Fueros was definitively configured in the 18th century, giving it a fully Baroque appearance, nowadays very diluted due to the incomprehensible loss of many of its buildings. However, there are still two majestic blocks (no. 4 and 25) that tell us of the monumentality and magnificence that this festive and commercial space once had, the nerve centre of everyday life in Estella, whose functions were similar to those of the main squares. Although the placedid not follow a previous plan, hence its irregularity, and did not have uniform façades, as is the case, for example, in Tudela, it was equipped with the typical arcades and long balconies that were converted into veritable tribunes to take part in the festivities that were held there, especially bullfights. A characteristic element from the Ribera del Ebro was also a gallery of arches that crowned some of the façades.

For its part, the Calle Mayor is home to two magnificent examples of stately architecture. One, which corresponds to number 41, was built by Juan Antonio Munárriz in 1761 with the funds he brought from America, offering an extraordinary and scenographic Baroque façade, while the second, which also opens onto Calle Gaiteros and placede San Francisco, is linked to the figure of Manuel Modet. This French-born businessman was an important figure in the life of Estella. He opened a textile factory in the city and founded, together with Juan Faurie from Bayonne, the company Faurie y Cía, dedicated to the distribution of the textiles he produced and other products of different origins, whose field of action extended throughout Europe. With a clearly enlightened mentality, he opted for a much more refined designfor his house than the Munárriz building, whose only concession to decoration was centred on the balconies, which follow French grilles, and on the coat of arms that he placed in 1780, for which he was denounced. The Navarrese courts did not recognise his nobility until two years later.

In the same street we should mention the extraordinary imperial staircase covered by a dome that articulates the interior of the Ruiz de Alda house, thus adapting to the taste for the theatricality typical of the Baroque, as well as for the protocol, the rules of courtesy and of labelthe moment.
 

Modet House
 

In the field of civil architecture we must also refer to the old Town Hall. Located at placede San Martín and therefore on a site dating from the end of the 11th century, the building was constructed from 1693 onwards, although the work was not recognised and valued until 1706. However, this work must have corresponded to the interior of the building, as the stone façade of three sections, articulated by pilasters and Corinthian columns, has a doorway and two balconies framed by thick mixtilinear mouldings that force us to postpone its construction by several decades. The frontispiece is completed with a gallery of arches, a carved eaves and two coats of arms of the city, each with a crown, with a lower mask and bordered by naked children.

We cannot end this tour of the Estella Baroque without mentioning the interior of the dwellings, that is, the domestic space, at accredited specialization. Although there is no programs of studyin this respect, we know of the possessions owned by the Dukes of Granada de Ega (Antonio Idiáquez and Mª Isabel Aznárez de Garro) in their house in Estella (now the Gustavo de Maeztu Museum) in the mid-18th century. His collection of silverware for the table, dressing table, desk and lighting was very extensive, as was the textile decoration which adorned the house, mainly curtains, bed hangings and tapestries with themes such as the History of Solomon, the Burning of Troy, the Hunting of Charles V, the seasons of the year and heraldry. The house had an abundance of 17th-century furniture such as counters, desks and showcases, although the novelties of the 18th century came in the form of mirrors, cornucopiae and a number of patent leather pieces. There were numerous paintings and plates, all of them with religious themes, thanks to the Duke's deep religious convictions, including a Novo-Hispanic painting of Saint Francis Xavier. There were also exotic objects from the Indies and pieces from other parts of the world, such as an ivory Crucifixion and two Neapolitan Infant Jesuses. Finally, the house had a gallery of portraits, both of ancestors and members of the royal family, thus showing, as the Town Hall did with its own gallery, its loyalty to the crown.