Title

Letters Patent of Nobility of Petitioner Antonio Sáenz de Herquiñigo y Vergara

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Object history

The Hispanic Society of America's documentary holdings include nearly 200,000 manuscripts, letters and documents. Archer M. Huntington, founder of the institution, created this great collection between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. To do so, he made purchases from large personal libraries such as that of the Marquis of Jerez de los Caballeros, who sold him around 10,000 manuscripts and printed books, or the bullfighting library of Carmena y Millán (Codding, O'Neil and Lenaghan 2021, 9).

Of all of them, the most fruitful commercial relationship was with the German collector Karl W. Hiersemann, from whose private collection Huntington obtained more than 200,000 manuscripts and Hispanic books between the first two decades of the twentieth century. In view of Huntington's interest, Hiersemann went so far as to create large custom catalogs specifically for his American client and for the Hispanic Society of America (Codding, O'Neil and Lenaghan 2021, 9).

This 1665 Hispanic Society of America executory letter issued to Antonio Sáenz de Herquiñigo was in those holdings in Hisserman's private collection in Leipzig and was acquired by Huntington in 1911 transferring it in 1912 to the holdings of the Hispanic Society of America (Codding, 2017).

Description

Letters of hidalguía were royal documents that granted their recipient the heraldic status of knight. Letters of hidalguía began to be issued during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, who founded a special court, the Sala de Hijosdalgo, at the Royal Chancery of Valladolid. These documents could only be issued by the Royal Chancilleries of Valladolid and Granada, often after lengthy and costly litigation by the plaintiff. The letters were validated by a lead seal attached to the spine of the document with a multicolored cord. The importance of these documents lay in the fact that they certified the social position of the holder, so that he was exempt from paying certain taxes, fees and obligations. In addition, the descendants of a nobleman kept these documents with care, as they sometimes needed to claim the privileges of their ancestor to certify their social status. Given the importance of these documents, their authors made high quality illuminations and their owners ordered bindings to match their content. Thus, the letters executoras de hidalguía are important documents, providing us with key information about the society and artistic evolution of Spanish illuminators during the Renaissance and Baroque periods (Codding 2017, 184).

The present letter, addressed to Antonio Sáenz de Herquiñigo reflects the high artistic level reached in these manuscripts during the second half of the seventeenth century. The letter features a high-quality binding that serves as an ornamental motif and aids in the preservation of the document. The protagonist of its decoration is the golden thread that creates a double outer frame with arcades contained in them. The inner frame surrounds four fan-shaped motifs that are attached to each of the inner corners. In the center, another fan-shaped motif, but in its full circular form. Both the fans and the edges of the frames are decorated in outline by the same motif (Codding, O'Neil and Lenaghan 2021, 94).

The letter also includes an original brooch and the page with the family portraits. The portrait of Antonio Sáenz and his family stands out for its realism. The rich religious iconography also stands out: in the center, Jesus as the Good Shepherd and the Virgin in an open landscape, together with the Eternal Father and the Holy Spirit in heaven. Phylacteries with inscriptions on Creation and Redemption and four saints (St. Martha, St. Peter Martyr, St. Felix and St. Potenciana) adorn the border, along with decorative elements and birds with possible symbolism (Codding 2017, 193-4).

The use of a luminous palette, characteristic of the time, and the integration of these elements demonstrate the artist's skill. In addition, it includes an early portrait of Charles II, only three years old, being one of the first official images of the young king, which adds historical value to the document (Codding 2017, 193-4).

Locations

• 1665 - 1911

  province

  Possible origin in the province of Valladolid, Valladolid (Spain)

• 1912 - present

  museum

  The Hispanic Society of America, New York (United States)