Title

Alizar from the Palace of Curiel de Duero. Woman and Heraldic Motif

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Object history

This alizar with the scene of Woman and heraldic motif is one of those preserved by the Princeton University Art Museum from the palace of Curiel de Duero (Valladolid). As well as other pieces from the same catalog that illustrate scenes such as: Horseman and dragon; Arms of Castile and Leon; Horseman, warrior, wild man; Man and woman; Man fighting with bird, lovers, wrestlers; Horseman, monster and warrior; Young man and bull; Couple, man fighting with bear, two women fighting; Dragon and warrior.

The palace of Diego López de Zúñiga, who was appointed Justice Major of Castile by Juan I, became one of the victims of the bankruptcy of the house of Osuna in the 19th century. In 1860 the property was bought by Indalecio Martínez Alcubilla, who a few years later published a brochure under the title: Memoria histórica-descriptiva del antiguo palacio-fortaleza de Curiel (Martínez Alcubilla 1866). In it he gave clear clues of his interest in the monument, since after praising the beauty of its coffered ceilings and plasterwork, he called the attention of public officials to acquire the palace: "Let us fix our eyes on foreign countries and especially on France and England that guard with great care and attention their ancient monuments and try to enrich their museums with artistic treasures of all genres, collecting and paying with esteem antiques that should never have left their homeland" (Martínez Alcubilla, 1866).

A few years later, in 1907, the rich coffered ceilings of the Mudejar residence were described in the Boletín de la Sociedad Española de Excursiones: "The coffered ceilings of some of the chambers of that Palace are of the most varied figures: coats of arms of Castile and Leon, whimsical birds, flowers, crossed triangles, circles, lines, all of delicate workmanship and brilliant color [...] What a contrast between that preciousness, and the rooms converted into not very neat dovecotes where the sweet and most loving bird nested or nests! What a contrast between that beautiful and delightful room, and the roof of the second gallery, all of it almost destroyed by the waters, the polychrome boards splintered, the walls cracked, crumbling, pulverizing! What a contrast between the marvelous work of the Muslim master builder and the adobe oven made in what was once a great and very valuable hall! [...] today, unfortunately, it has been turned into a ruinous mansion and a vulgar grain warehouse, thanks to the outrage of men, more than to the lack of pity of Mother Nature" (Hernández Alejandro, 1907).

Two factors stood out in such a chronicle: the beauty and value of its roofs, and the deplorable abandonment suffered by what was once such a noble complex. The truth is that Martínez Alcubilla did not achieve his goal of having the State buy the palace and ended up selling it to Agustín Yagüe, who would bring about the definitive ruin of the complex. The new owner turned such a rich building into a quarry of materials for sale. It did not take long for the offer to sell, as demolition material, everything in the building that could be of interest to collectors and private individuals to reach the press. It is striking in this sense the announcement published in the newspaper El Norte de Castilla on November 2, 1920 regarding the sale of architectural remains from the demolition of the palace of Curiel de Duero (Valladolid): "FOR SALE. From the demolition of the Palace of Curiel, wood, doors, windows, grilles and stone columns are for sale in that town. For more details, please contact Mr. Agustín Yagüe. Hotel Moderno, Peñafiel" (Martínez Ruiz, 2008, pp. 319-324).

El anticuario Juan Lafora, radicado en Madrid, se hizo con techumbres procedentes de Curiel; a decir verdad, numerosos fragmentos de sus bellos techos acabaron dispersos en diversas colecciones a uno y otro lado del Atlántico: como la del Conde de las Almenas, subastada en 1927 en Nueva York; la colección W. R. Hearst collection; the Alcazar of Segovia -in one of whose rooms one of the roofs was installed-; the Episcopal Museum of Vic (Barcelona) -inv. nos. 7489, 12299, 1230, and probably 7360-; the Soler i March collection of Barcelona -whose fragments, after passing through the hands of the antiquarian Adolph Loewi, ended up in the Art Museum of Princeton University, as the example that concerns us-. The National Archaeological Museum preserves some Curiel aliceres -inv. nos. 50742, 50758, 50759, 50765, 50766, 2014/35/1, 2014/35/2, 2014/35/3, 2014/35/5-.Nothing remained in situ of what was described as one of the most beautiful Mudejar palaces, for its richly decorated halls with armor, doors with lacquerwork motifs, plasterwork.... Everything was razed to the ground, and what is sadder: it was liquidated as the remains of a demolition (Martínez Ruiz, 2024).

Locations

• ca. 1920

  palace

  Zúñiga Palace, Curiel de Duero (Spain)

• ca. 1920

  private collection

  Agustín Yagüe, Curiel de Duero (Spain) *

• 1934

  private collection

  Alexander Soler i March, Barcelona (Spain) *

• Unknown date

  dealer/antiquarian

  Adolph Loewi, Venecia/Los Ángeles (Italy) *

• 1958 - present

  museum

  Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton (United States)