Luis Rafael Méndez Rodríguez

Slavery and the Guild in Golden Age Painting in Seville

Abstract This article examines the use of slave labor in both painters and sculptors’ workshops in early modern Seville and offers valuable insight into the social and cultural conditions that shaped artistic production. New research is presented on the Sevillian slave trade and a focus is developed on the purchase, use, and treatment of slaves by artists. The tasks carried out by slaves ranged from domestic duties to menial workshop tasks and on occasions they even sold artworks on the street. Key areas examined are the guilds regulation on the use of slaves, the manumission of slaves, and the opportunities open to freed slaves to continue practicing the artistic skills they had learnt. Besides the renowned example of Juan de Pareja, the slave trained and then freed by Velázquez, other cases of artists’ slave ownership are discussed and reference is made to Pacheco, Cano, Martínez Montañés, and Murillo.

Andalucía en las artes plásticas europeas (1830-1900)

La mirada del siglo XIX hizo familiar por toda Europa los nombres de Espana y Andalucia. El sur se convirtio en el escenario de muchos suenos para los viajeros que contaron las peripecias de sus viajes en diarios y libros. La Giralda, los arcos de la Mezquita, el patio de los Leones fueron el escenario de esta fascinante aventura de la imaginacion, desde las atractivas historias que se contaron en forma de legendarios romances hasta la creacion del primer turismo que identifico ocio, placer y cultura.