Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-03
FANS AND FANDANGOES
Characterization Applied to
the City Of Seville.
BEAUTY OF ITS TILES
ALMOST EVERY BUILDING DECO
RATED WITH PORCELAIN.
Decay Of This Charming Art-Machine
Replaces Hand Work-Scene at
q Military Mass.
BEAUTY OF ITS TILES

Military Mass.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record-Herald.
SEVILLE, November %, 1903.
Seville has been called the city of fans
and fandangoes. because of the character
istics Of It's people and the grace with which
the fair Sevillianos handle the fans that are
always between their fingers; but think 1t
ought to be called the City Of Tiles. AL
most every building. be 1t palace or stable
is decorated with porcelain Of the most
beautiful colors and designs. The finest
display is in the Alcazar. the ancient palace
Of the Moorish kings. The Spaniards in
herited from them the art Of making and
the use of enameled earthenware. which
they call "azuelejos," from the prevailing
color, which is blue. In the mosque OF Cor
dova and In some Of the older ediflces are
tiles which must have been made as early
as the fifth or sixth century. Those In the
Alhambra are the finest in the world. al
though not 80 old. In some Of the converts
and palaces of Seville are beautiful azulejos
pictures after designs by Murillo and Veias-
quez.
This charming art fell off considerably
during the seventeenth and eighteenth CEN
turtles, and the best examples we find were
produced previous to those periods II 49, OF
at least it ought to be, cause OF humility
to know that the people OF the present gem
GRAFTON cannot make tiles as good as those
that were made 800 or 1000 years ago. 1t
Is not q lost art, but modern artlsts anu
manufacturers will not spend as mucn
pains and labor in the production, ana
architects and builders Will not pay as
much money for them.
Periods Indicated by Colors.
The Moorish tiles and those which now
come from Morocco are painted by hand
Modern tiles are stamped with coIors and
designs which makes all the difference.
Machine-made articles are more exact, but
lack life in the design and depth In the
color. The old-fashioned tiles cannot be
seen to greater advantage than IN Seviile,
although, perhaps those at the AlhamDra
in Granada are superior. Experts talk
about them with as much interest ana
learning as they show concerning pictures
and sculpture, and point out the peculiarl-
ties that distinguish different arasts Sane, ana
tiles are blue; about the fifteenth century
whites and yellows came into fashion; then
puppies, greens and various shades OF or
ange were used while at the beginning or
the seventeenth century yellow and brown
tiles were produced almost exclusively. You
can find all of the schools and all Of the
periods represented In the Alcazar.
The Duke Of Alba, that terrible wolf or
the low countries, was given house mere
by his royal master, Charles V. 1t still
remains in the family, and Is called Las
Duenas, and Is one Of the most peauu1ul
Of fifteenth century structures, containing
eleven patios, nine fountains and hun
d. ed marble columns. The floors, the
walls and many Of the pillars are covered
with the most beautiful tiles you can
imagine. but they are no better than you
can find in butchers shops fish markets,
sta bles, courts. passages. gardens. bath
rooms and everywhere else In building
they are grateful substitutes for cold,
meaningless, heavy stone; they are su-
perior to frescoes, because they never fade
or crack and adapt themselves to all cli-
mates.
Pilates House Copied.
Another wonderful display Of tiles Is
found in the so-called Casa de Pilatos." a
costly and extensive palace OF the Duke
of Medina Cell, built by q Marquis of
Tarifa, after a visit to Palestine, 400 years
ago, in alleged imitation Of the house OF
PLATE at Jerusalem, although there is not
the slightest resemblance between the two.
except the ground plan.
The judgment house Of Plate as 1t Is
called in Jerusalem, Is now a barracks for
the Turkish guard. and has not peen very
much altered. 1t bears no resemblance TO
modern dwellings, while Its imitation In
Seville is built around patio, upon the
conventional plan of Spanish houses, with
a chapel, Drawing IOOIuS, OlIllIS IoOHLos
kitchens, baths. bed rooms and all Of the
other accessories. Its builder endeavored
to make the likeness more striking by In
PRODUCING what is claimed to be a copy of
the basin in which the hands were washed,
the table upon which the lots were cast,
and at the top OF the stairs Is carved
representation of the cock that crowed
three times while Peter denied his Lord,
as If the marquis had not attended Sum
day school and did not know that this
celebrated fowl belonged to Caiaphas and
not to Plate.
and the balcony from which it Is said that
Plate spoke to the people Is an archi-
tectural gem. The tiles are glorious also.
and the gardens. with their palms and
fountains, are delightful. AS an oriental
palace 1t could not be surpassed
Near by is the home Of Murillo on the
Plaza de st. Cruz His body Is buried in
the cathedral. and tablet erected by the
Academy Of Fine Arts, in 1858. The house
is situated in the old Jewish quarter, not
the poorest part of town. but an unfash-
ionable district. inhabited only by working
people. Nothing has been done toward a
monument. A committee was appointed
half a century ago, and considerable
amount Of money was subscribed, but 1t
has vanished and the movement has never
been renewed.
No Beggars Permitted.
Our meditations were disturbed by a
group Of small children. who followed US
persistently.s screaming, ''Inglisl Ingls!
money! money! money! cinco centavosr'
and other appeals, which show that some
of our countrymen have been SO unwise as
to scatter coins among the urchins in this
part Of town and have taught them bad
manners There are no other beggars in
Seville. They are not permitted here. 1t Is
the only town In Spain Of which that can
be said. and one is relieved of the per-
sistent clamor Of old and young, men. woL
men and children, who follow you with be-
seeching faces and outstretched hands in
other places. There are plenty of children,
however. When the distribution Of chill
dren was made Seville got her entire share
for the streets are swarming with happy,
bright-eyed little youngsters. that look as
if they had stepped out Of Murillo's pic
lures in the art galleries, and they are al
ways polite and deferential, and have a
miniature dignity that is amusing
The Children's Hospital is one Of the most
interesting places in Seville. 1t is very old,
and there is a tradition that Murillo used
to go there for his models
We stopped at a fruit stand in the street