Title

Letters Patent of Nobility of Gonzalo de Estrada Bustamante

Anonimous

Generic classification

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Inscriptions / Marks

"Letters patent of nobility obtained following adversarial proceedings in the Royal Chancery of Valladolid on 28 October 1563, confirming the nobility of his family and ancestral seat of Estrada Bustamante, secured for himself and his successors."

Object history

Documents of this type were issued in response to a petition filed by someone seeking recognition of his status as a nobleman in order to enjoy greater privileges. In this case, the petitioner was Gonzalo de Estrada Bustamante, who had married in Valladolid in 1560. The lawsuit took place “in our court and Chancery, which is located in the noble town of Valladolid” (f. 7v) on October 28, 1563. The document was issued during the reign of Philip II, at a time when the Royal Chancery of Valladolid was one of the principal judicial bodies in Castile. Although the document was issued in Valladolid, one of the copies was delivered to the petitioner, who was responsible for safeguarding it and likely for commissioning its decoration. Gonzalo de Estrada Bustamante’s family came from Silió, in present-day Cantabria, so we must assume that they moved there.

We do not know what became of the certificate of nobility after that point or in whose hands it remained. Thanks to a seal preserved inside the document (“Z BIBLIOTEKI PUŁAWSKIEJ X. CZARTORYSKICH,” f. 6r), we know that it belonged to the Czartoryski family before the collection they had assembled in Puławy (Poland) was dispersed. Therefore, it was in the possession of Adam Kazimierz and Izabela Fleming of Czartoryski between 1763 and 1830. The Czartoryskis were involved in the Polish political cause and participated in the November Uprising of 1830; however, the Russian authorities seized power and proceeded to confiscate the family’s assets. This is how the collection was dispersed to various locations, primarily Paris. In 1874, Władysław Czartoryski set out to reunite his family’s collection at the Princes Czartoryski Library (Kraków), including theBible from theMonastery of Santo Domingo de Silos (Burgos) and this certificate of nobility.

Description

The manuscript consists of 78 folios and three illuminations: two of them cover an entire page, while the third decorates one-third of a folio. The first composition depicts the Virgin and Child crowned by a pair of angels; beside them, in four niches, are the evangelists: Saint John, Saint Matthew, Saint Luke, and Saint Mark. Below the scene is a cartouche with an inscription referring to Our Lady of La Antigua. Framing the composition are vegetation and architectural elements that indicate it was created during the reign of King Philip II.

The second large illumination depicts the coat of arms of the Estrada Bustamante family. The coat of arms is surrounded by a complex array of elements alluding to war, such as suits of armor, bows, arrows, cannons, and drums. Finally, the smallest illumination depicts a “D,” in the center of which stands the figure of the Virgin and Child.

Although the manuscript dates from 1563, the binding does not appear to be the original.

Locations

• ca. 1563

  palace

  Royal Court and Chancellery of Valladolid, Valladolid (Spain)

• ca. 1563

  private collection

  Gonzalo de Estrada Bustamante, Silió (Spain) *

• Third quarter of the XVIII^th c. - ca. 1830

  private collection

  Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski and Izabela Fleming, Puławy (Poland) *

• ca. 1874

  private collection

  Władysław Czartoryski, Paris (France) *

• ca. 1876 - present

  library

  The Princes Czartoryski Library, Cracovia (Poland)