Guillermo Joaquín de Osma y Scull (1853-1922) was born in Havana (Cuba) into a wealthy family. His father was a Peruvian diplomat and his mother came from a landowning family on the island. Osma studied at the Sorbonne (Paris) and Oxford (United Kingdom), later moving to Madrid and entering the diplomatic service. His cousin was married to Antonio Cánovas, who introduced him to politics. In 1888, he married Adela Crooke, 24th Countess of Valencia de Don Juan. Following his marriage, Osma took up residence in Madrid and held various political positions as a Conservative Party representative in the district of Monforte de Lemos. However, in 1908, a series of disagreements with the ministry led to his resignation (Peña, 2023).
After leaving politics, Osma devoted himself entirely to collecting (Barrio, 1998). He was a member of prominent cultural institutions such as the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts (Madrid), the Alhambra Trust, and the Academy of Letters of Barcelona. He and his wife had inherited a large collection of art objects and historical documents. Together they acquired new pieces and decided to promote the creation of a foundation to preserve and exhibit them. They commissioned Vicente García Cabrera to design the project, which was to be located on Calle Fortuny (Madrid). The Valencia de Don Juan Institute was founded in 1916 (Andrés, 1984). As it was independent of the state, it was linked to other institutions such as the British Museum, the Hispanic Society, and the University of Oxford.
Among the works in the Valencia de Don Juan Institute's collection are the Book of Hours of Mencía de Mendoza attributed to Simón Bening, El Greco's View of the Camaldola , Abraham and the Three Angels by Navarrete el Mundo, as well as textiles, ceramics, silverware, and all kinds of sumptuary arts (Sánchez Cantón, 1923; Martínez Caviró, 1978).
Bibliography
ANDRÉS, Gregorio de (1984): La Fundación del Instituto y Museo de Valencia de Don Juan, Instituto de Estudios Madrileños, Madrid.
BARRIO MOYA, José Luis (1998): "Un coleccionista atípico: Don Guillermo de Osma", nº 267, Goya. Revista de Arte, pp. 364-374.
MARTÍNEZ CAVIRÓ, Balbina (1978): Catálogo de cerámica española en el Instituto de Valencia de Don Juan, Instituto Valencia de Don Juan, Madrid.
MONTALVO MARTÍN, Francisco Javier (2000): "Los jarros de pico del Instituto Valencia de Don Juan", nº 276, en Goya.
PEÑA GONZÁLEZ, José María (2023): "Guillermo Joaquín de Osma y Scull: político y académico. (Aristocracia de clase y nobleza de espíritu)", nº 87, RdM. Revista de Museología: Publicación científica al servicio de la comunidad museológica, pp. 27-33.
SÁNCHEZ CANTÓN, Francisco Javier (1923): Catálogo de las pinturas del Instituto de Valencia de Don Juan, Instituto de Valencia de Don Juan, Madrid.