Plateros - History Lab

Portrait of Bernardo Muñoz

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:14 +0000

The image shows the gold and silver assayer, Bernardo Muñoz. At the top of the image we can read: “Situazion en la que D. Bernardo Muñoz egecuta los ensayes de oro i plata – i su retrato”. The portrait of this assayer, one of the most outstanding figures in the organisation of the silversmiths’ guilds in the Modern Age, dedicated to the recognition of the quality of the pieces, is an image of great interest for two reasons: firstly, because it allows us to observe the work space where he carried out his work as an assayer; secondly, because it is an excellent resource for analysing elements linked to everyday life and customs of the time. In this sense, the image allows us to analyse the gesture of the figure himself, as well as some representative elements such as the wig he wears and his clothes, typical of a person of economic solvency who is more akin to an artist than a manufacturing craftsman.

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Engraving of the figure of St. Eloy, patron saint of silversmiths

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:14 +0000

The image represents an engraving by Fray Matías de Irala, dated 1733, which was incorporated as the back cover of the ordinances of the Board of Trade and Currency of 1771, reissued in 1831, concerning the practice of silversmithing. In this image we see Saint Eloy, the patron saint of silversmiths, on a pedestal adorned with the coat of arms of the city of Malaga, while above him two angels hold the coat of arms of King Philip V. The figure of the saint, in turn, is surrounded by six biblical figures: Moses, Beselel, Hyrán, Tare, Oliab and Solomon, all with recognisable attributes linked to silversmithing. Above them all is the motto: “Artis honor caelique dequs regumque potestas et saces antistes aureus Eligius”.

The post Engraving of the figure of St. Eloy, patron saint of silversmiths first appeared on History Lab.

Fragment of the genealogy of the Gálvez de Antequera family (18th century)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:36 +0000

In this fragment of the genealogy of the Gálvez family, based in Antequera since the end of the 17th century, we can observe the intergenerational transmission of the craftsman’s trade ascribed to the surname, in this case, circumscribed to goldsmith work. It should be pointed out that, despite the stereotyping of craftsmanship, we do not always find a transmission as accentuated as that visible in the case of the Gálvez family, so that, although some families did operate under these reproductive criteria, we cannot generalise without first contextualising the economic and social environment in which it took place.

The post Fragment of the genealogy of the Gálvez de Antequera family (18th century) first appeared on History Lab.

Genealogy of the Fernández de Moratín family in Madrid (17th-19th century)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:36 +0000

This genealogy reconstructs the Fernández de Moratín family from their arrival in Madrid from the Lugar de Moratín (Asturias) until the Napoleonic invasion. The silversmith’s work was strongly linked to the surname from the time of their establishment at the Madrid court, and they even became part of the guardhouse of Queen Isabella of Farnese. Subsequently, and in the heat of the socio-political transformations that characterised Spain between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, the family strategies were oriented towards the relationship with intellectual and administrative sectors of the capital, with prominent figures such as the writer Leandro Fernández de Moratín and the politician Gumersindo Fernández de Moratín, cousin of the former, among others.

The post Genealogy of the Fernández de Moratín family in Madrid (17th-19th century) first appeared on History Lab.

Secondary sector in the council of Avilés, 1797

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:46 +0000

The well-known Godoy Census was a general population count promoted by Manuel Godoy y Álvarez de Faria, First Secretary of State and Office of Charles IV. Published in 1801, it provides valuable data that give an insight into the situation of Spain at the end of the Enlightenment. It is not merely demographic in nature, but also economic, being conceived as an improved version of the previous Floridablanca Census. This tool allows a detailed reconstruction of the activities of the manufacturing sector in Avilés at the end of the Ancien Régime. The town provided employment for trades that either did not appear, or did so in a precarious way, in other parts of the region. An important branch of activity was textiles, especially work linked to the linen industry which, despite Campomanes’ wishes, could not lead industrialisation as it was subject to various limitations and foreign competition. With 117 weavers, the domestic manufacture of linen in Aviles was in the hands of women – it should be remembered that one of the great assets of this census is to highlight women’s work. Another textile speciality was tailoring, represented by 40 men and four women. It also included other trades such as footwear, which, together with tailoring, maintained the employment levels of 1753. However, the real specialisation was in copper working or boilermaking. Together with pottery, these set the tone for Avila’s manufactures at the end of the Ancien Régime. Among the coppersmiths, of which there were ten masters, the census included 45 boilermakers and 60 apprentices. The second most active branch was pottery, as most of the potters, located in Miranda, combined this occupation with agricultural work.

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Cordoban silversmiths in the Modern Age

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:11 +0000

A historical dissemination channel under the coordination of the creator of the seminar, Dr. Antonio J. Díaz Rodríguez, where historians with a consolidated career and young researchers from different universities present to the public a particular journey through Cordoba and Andalusia in the 16th and 17th centuries. This initiative is the result of the collaboration of the Laboratory of Judeo-Converso Studies of the University of Cordoba with the Provincial Historical Archive of Cordoba. Conversos, slaves, wine smugglers, prized Andalusian horses, swords from Toledo, Inca nobility, literati, gardeners, document forgers, Moors and much more are shown in these seminars via Youtube. In this case, the conference talks about the life and work of the Cordovan silversmiths in the Modern Age. It shows in detail how the concentration of their activity in specific areas of the city determined their consolidation as a guild and institution from a professional point of view.

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