José de Salamanca y Mayol (1811-1883), 1st Marquis of Salamanca, was born in Málaga and studied law at the University of Granada. He came into contact with liberal circles and in 1936 was elected deputy for the Constituent Courts. His marriage to Petronila Livermore enabled him to establish contacts with important businessmen, such as José Buschental. He invested large sums of money in the railway sector, however, the crisis of 1866 affected his business considerably. This situation forced him to sell a large part of his private collection in 1867, but it was not enough to cover his debts. Finally, in 1876 he sold the palace he owned on Paseo de Recoletos in Madrid.