Bridge of Toledo Madrid

Title

Bridge of Toledo Madrid

Description

View shows historic bridge Puente de Toledo over river Manzanares in Madrid.

ca. 1807

Artist

Roberts (1796-1864)

David Roberts is one of the most important vedute painters of the 19th century. Thematically, his work can be partially assigned to orientalism. In 1832, on the advice of a friend, Roberts traveled to Spain, where he got to know almost all of the big cities and drew a large number of ruins and monuments. In 1837 a selection of these vedute appeared under the title Picturesque Sketches of Spain. This publication did not make him rich because his publisher had betrayed him, but it was the basis for his permanent international reputation and gave him the acquaintance of the talented Belgian engraver Louis Haghe. Robert's two-year stay in Spain, which had taken him to Tangier, evidently reinforced his latent interest in the Orient. In any case, after lengthy preparations, in August 1838 he set out on the trip to Egypt, which was to make him famous even after his death. For three months Roberts was on a rented ship on the Nile as far as Nubia and Abu Simbel and visited all important archaeological sites. He even managed to be the first European to step inside a mosque and draw. In the further course of his journey to Jerusalem, and from there to Lebanon, he suffered a persistent fever in Baalbek, which prevented him from continuing his journey. Finally, on May 13, 1839, Roberts started his journey home from Beirut. After Roberts had found the publisher Francis Graham Moon, all 247 lithographs of the journey to the Orient between 1842 and 1849 by the Belgian engraver Louis Haghe were published in six volumes in London. In 1841 Roberts became a full member of the Royal Academy and resumed his travel activities. David Roberts died in London on November 25, 1864 at the age of 68 and was buried in Norwood Cemetery.

Historical Description

The first evidence for the name Madrid comes from Arabic sources. As Arabic etymon the word -madschra- is taken as a basis, which can mean channel, water conduit or river bed. The Latin etymon is assumed to be -matricem-, which is translated here as 'source (of a stream)'. After 854, under the emir Muhammad (852 to 886), a Moorish castle (alcázar) was built on the site of today's Madrid Royal Palace. In 1561, Philip II moved the royal court from Valladolid to Madrid, beginning the city's rise. The part of Madrid built under the Spanish Habsburgs is still called "El Madrid de los Austrias" (The Madrid of the Habsburgs). In 1701, the War of the Spanish Succession broke out, leading to the Anglo-Portuguese occupation of the city in 1706. It ended in 1714 when the Bourbons took over the Spanish throne. Under their rule, the present Royal Palace was built. From 1808 to 1813, Madrid was occupied by the French, with Napoleon's brother Joseph Bonaparte appointed king. The occupiers had monasteries and entire neighborhoods razed to make new space. From 1833 to 1876, the three Carlist Wars were fought. During this time, a cholera epidemic also ravaged Madrid. In 1873 the first republic was proclaimed by the liberal politician and writer Emilio Castelar.