Alfombra [Rug]
- 1942-1984
- Fabric with single or Spanish knots
- 268 x 369,5 cm
- Cat. A_179
- Observations: Warp: linen. Weft: linen. Knot: wool. Weaving density: 26 knots/dm
A magnificent example of a renewed interest in the history of Spanish rug making in the mid-20th century and the desire to revive the industry that arose among certain cultural organisations of the time. As evidenced by the labels sewn onto the back of the fabric and the embroidered signature, this rug was woven at the Fundación Generalísimo Franco ['General Franco Foundation'].
It has a repetitive pattern inspired by Renaissance-period brocades or wrought leather wall coverings, which were produced in great numbers by Spanish workshops (especially in Alcaraz) during the 16th and 17th centuries. The basic element of the design is the pomegranate or artichoke in bloom, arranged in four columns or swathes with two different forms of decoration: in one column the central motif takes an orbicular form (leaning towards the pentagonal) made up of thick stalks, while in the next, only the top part of the shape appears, so that the artichoke motif mostly stands out directly against the background. In the first combination the main bud or fruit is set off by secondary buds that seem to grow as offshoots on each side of the pentagon. This defines and visually accentuates the difference between one swathe and the next (one ornamented heavily and the other more lightly, leaving more background visible).
The main border is a classic snake-like pattern with large, opposing rinceaux in which there is more than a hint of a two-headed dragon.
An exploration of the historical origins of this specific type of imitation brocade reveals several examples in collections in Spain and elsewhere that may have served as references for the designers of the rug owned by the Banco de España. There were two in the V. and L. Benguiat Private Collection of Rare Old Rugs in New York, as listed in a sales catalogue published in late 1925. Another is currently in the collection of the National Museum of Decorative Arts in Madrid under inventory number CE01731, and still another once formed part of the Welczeck collection and was featured in its exhibition of old Spanish rugs in 1933, with catalogue number 21. Another was reproduced by Sánchez Ferrer (1986) on his plate LXX, shown as being owned by the Hispanic Society of America in New York. They are all very similar to the rug shown here, but not exactly the same. Those in the National Museum of Decorative Arts and the collection of Count Welczeck have very similar main medallions, but lack the other pomegranate motif. The framing is only partial and the edging is very different. The most similar of all is the rug shown as Nº 15 in the catalogue of the V. and L. Benguiat Collection. The field has only a single swathe, but there are hints of others on both sides, with a design very similar to the secondary motif of the Banco de España rug. The main borders of the two rugs are almost identical.
However, the most surprising thing about Rug Nº 179 is that it appears to be an exact copy not of one of the rugs from the royal works mentioned above but of the illustration on the cover of the catalogue for the exhibition Alfombras antiguas españolas ['Old Spanish Rugs'] published by Asociación de Amigos del Arte and drawn up by José Ferrandis. The rug on the cover does not appear to have featured in the actual exhibition (or at least, there is no mention of it in the catalogue); rather is seems to be an idealised artist's impression of a typical brocade rug from Alcaraz, based on Rug Nº 15 in the catalogue of the V. and L. Benguiat collection. That would mean that it was designed specifically for the front and back covers of a book. Nor is its colour scheme real: it appears to have been designed taking into account the practical requirements of a monochrome print for a book.
The designer of the rug shown here, however, faithfully reproduced the colour scheme on the book cover (an aquamarine pattern on a white background). The art directors at the Fundación Generalísimo Franco would have been familiar with old rugs and probably knew that this was not historically accurate; they were unlikely to have been deceived by black and white illustrations in contemporary publications. They would certainly have been aware of Rug Nº CE01731 at the National Museum of Decorative Arts, and would have known that the designs in series of brocades such as this one were usually dark blue on an orange background (at the time of writing, one is on sale at the Nazmiyal Collection in New York - possibly the same one put up for sale by the V. and L. Benguiat collection in 1925, given that it has the same colour scheme). However, the evidence suggests that contemporary tastes at the time when the rug was woven led to its strictly two-colour design of greenish blue on a light background, which is very different from the bright colours of 16th century rugs.
The weaving uses fine grade Spanish knots (28 x 28 knots/dm2) and the colour shading has the watermarks or bars characteristic of the weaving works at Puerta de Hierro. The labels bear the inscription 'Fundación Generalísimo Franco', indicating that the rug must have been woven between 1941 (when the Foundation was set up) and 1978 (when it was renamed Fundación de Gremios [‘Foundation of Guilds’]).
Other works by General Franco Foundation – Associated Artistic Industries