{"id":5777,"date":"2020-10-14T23:33:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-14T22:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/luminaris.com\/?p=5777"},"modified":"2024-07-15T18:43:04","modified_gmt":"2024-07-15T17:43:04","slug":"museu-nacional-de-ceramica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/luminaris.com\/index.php\/2020\/10\/14\/museu-nacional-de-ceramica\/","title":{"rendered":"Museu Nacional de Cer\u00e0mica"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are some buildings (many of them by Gaud\u00ed) that make you want to go back to look at them over and over and over again. Museu Nacional de Cer\u00e0mica i de les Arts Sumptu\u00e0ries “Gonz\u00e0lez Mart\u00ed” (Gonz\u00e0lez Mart\u00ed National Museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts) isn’t by Gaud\u00ed but it is so stunning that the only way you can look at it is with your mouth hanging open. And you want to go back again and again. I am not kidding. I already gave you a glimpse of this beauty earlier<\/a> … now is the time to check it out inside! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a couple of lazy days (again), I needed some city time so I took the tram and metro and made my way from the Xativa subway station towards Pla\u00e7a de l’Ajuntament to take a good look at it during the day. Once there I noticed all the flower stands circling the main plaza in front of the Valencia City Hall building (Ajuntament de Val\u00e8ncia) … Remember<\/a> that a flower market used to be located here before the rebuilding of the plaza many years ago. Seeing all the flowers made me a bit homesick: it’s going to be a while before I take another flower arrangement class at Poppies or make something at home. Living out of two suitcases definitely has its drawbacks, especially when it comes to certain artistic activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Flower stalls at Pla\u00e7a de l’Ajuntament<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After a few minutes of people watching, I made my way east from the plaza towards the Ceramics Museum – today’s chosen destination. This time I came around from the other side of the building and was once again struck by its beautiful originality. The massive doors were open this time and I made my way inside. After paying a “hefty” entry fee of \u20ac3, I started the journey back in time. Until then I had not realized that this is not just a museum of ceramics, it is also a beautifully preserved palace dating back to late XIV century!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Museu Nacional de Cer\u00e0mica i de les Arts Sumptu\u00e0ries “Gonz\u00e0lez Mart\u00ed” – Entrance<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The building was constructed by the Rabassa Perell\u00f3s family starting with Don Francisco Perell\u00f3s, a merchant who not only made lots of money back in the XV century, but also married well. His descendants eventually received the title of Marquis from King Carlos II in 1699, and now the palace is called Palacio del Marqu\u00e9s de Dos Aguas (or Palau del Marqu\u00e9s de Dosaig\u00fces). The original building was first erected early in the XIV century as depicted on the famous Plan of Val\u00e8ncia drawn by Father Tosca (more on this coming soon, I promise). In the XV century the rich Gothic exterior facades and splendid interiors were added. In the XVIII century a major renovation was undertaken by the 3rd Marquis of Dos Aguas, mostly to show off, I will presume, and a great job he did at that. As far as I can find out, the exterior we see now originated from this time, and it was designed by Hip\u00f3lito Rovira, who, together with his craftsmen, gave the building a spectacularly Rococo finish, while the interior of the palace is more Baroque in style, with classic mirrors, bold colours, and grotesque designs, trompe l\u2019oeil<\/em> paintings and frescoes. (I love how much I’m learning about architecture though I doubt I could pass a test on this yet \ud83d\ude43.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I entered the main part of the palace, the first thing I saw were the two carriages on display. I’ve always loved carriages, partly because of the terribly romantic notion of them (I bet you didn’t take me for a romantic, eh?) and partly because I believe one of my great-grandparents was a carriage-maker and made some fancy ones. I come from a long line of craftspeople, at least on one side of the family, and maybe that’s why I appreciate craftsmanship as much as I do. These two were definitely examples of very fine craftsmanship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A carriage fit for a king or queen<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Since this IS a museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts, there were also display cabinets throughout the whole palace, some as permanent exhibits and some temporary. In the Gallery, I grouped the ceramics and decorative arts together and the palace photos separately, as much as possible. I made my way up the glorious staircase to the first floor, the main living space. Here I went through a number of rooms, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n