Liria Palace
Encyclopedia
The Liria Palace or Palacio de Liria is a Neoclassical
palace in Madrid
, Spain. Built around 1770 by the Duke of Berwick
on designs of Ventura Rodríguez
, in the early 19th century it passed to the inheritance of the House of Alba
. All but the facades were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War
. It has since been rebuilt and still remains a private residence, in part due to the persistence of the 18th Duchess of Alba, Duchess Cayetana de Alba. The interior shows remodeling touches by Edwin Lutyens
. The palace contains a remarkable private collection of European art, including works by Dürer
, El Greco
, Goya, Mantegna
, Murillo
, Rembrandt, Ribera, Van Dyck, and Velázquez
. It also houses the Alba Bible
.
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
palace in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain. Built around 1770 by the Duke of Berwick
James Fitz-James Stuart, 3rd Duke of Berwick
Don Jacobo Francisco Eduardo Fitz-James Stuart y Colón de Portugal, 3rd Duke of Berwick was a Jacobite. On the death of his father, James Fitz-James Stuart, in 1738, he inherited his titles of Duke of Berwick and Duke of Liria and Xerica...
on designs of Ventura Rodríguez
Ventura Rodríguez
Ventura Rodríguez Tizón was a Spanish architect and artist. Born at Ciempozuelos, Rodríguez was the son of a bricklayer. In 1727, he collaborated with his father in the work at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.-Major works:...
, in the early 19th century it passed to the inheritance of the House of Alba
House of Alba
The House of Alba is an important Spanish aristocratic family who derive from the 12th century Mozarab nobility of post-conquest Toledo. Their claim to Alba traces to 1429, when the first Álvarez de Toledo was made Lord of the City of Alba de Tormes...
. All but the facades were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. It has since been rebuilt and still remains a private residence, in part due to the persistence of the 18th Duchess of Alba, Duchess Cayetana de Alba. The interior shows remodeling touches by Edwin Lutyens
Edwin Lutyens
Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, OM, KCIE, PRA, FRIBA was a British architect who is known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era...
. The palace contains a remarkable private collection of European art, including works by Dürer
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, engraver, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since...
, El Greco
El Greco
El Greco was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El Greco" was a nickname, a reference to his ethnic Greek origin, and the artist normally signed his paintings with his full birth name in Greek letters, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος .El Greco was born on Crete, which was at...
, Goya, Mantegna
Andrea Mantegna
Andrea Mantegna was an Italian painter, a student of Roman archeology, and son in law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with perspective, e.g., by lowering the horizon in order to create a sense of greater monumentality...
, Murillo
Bartolomé Estéban Murillo
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo was a Spanish Baroque painter. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contemporary women and children...
, Rembrandt, Ribera, Van Dyck, and Velázquez
Diego Velázquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist...
. It also houses the Alba Bible
Alba Bible
The Alba Bible is a 1430 translation of the Old Testament made directly from Hebrew into Mediaeval Castilian, one of the earliest known translations into a Romance language...
.