Spain and the Hispanic World

Tracing the history of Spanish culture from antiquity through to the early 20th century, this show at the Royal Academy in London brings together more than 150 objects including maps, ceramics, jewellery and manuscripts (21 January–10 April 2023). Drawn from the collection of New York’s Hispanic Society Museum and Library, these works are on show for the first time in the United Kingdom. The ornate Alhambra Silk (c. 1400) is one of a number of fine Hispano-Islamic textiles on display; rare manuscripts on show include the Hebrew Bible (c. 1450–97) and the Black Book of Hours (c. 1458), thought to have been commissioned by María of Castile, the Queen of Aragon. There are also major paintings by Spanish Old Masters, such as Goya’s Duchess of Alba(1797) and Velázquez’s Portrait of a Girl (c. 1638–42). Find out more on the Royal Academy’s website.

Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary

From The Provides of Spain (1912–13), Joaquin Sorolla. Hispanic Society of America, New York

The Duchess of Alba (1797), Francisco de Goya. Hispanic Society of America, New York

Columbia portable writing desk (c. 1684). Hispanic Society of America, New York