THE
COLLECTION
THE COLLECTION
Walk through the museum rooms
The story of the museum revolves around three key themes on each of the three floors: the history of the Requesens family in Molins de Rei, the principal characteristics of Renaissance art, and everyday life in the 16th century.
Renaissance objects and works of art provide an insight into what everyday life was like at the time. Beyond their beauty and their aesthetic and historical value, they are great sources of knowledge of a world that no longer exists, but that can be understood by looking at the interrelationships between different things.
The 16th century was a time of great discoveries, outstanding personalities in various fields, fabulous works of art and inventions, but it was also marked by problems and conflict.
Mestre del Papagai
St. Mary Magdalene, around 1540, tempura and oil on wood
Reserve of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, 2023
Reial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi collection,
deposited in the Museus de Barcelona in 1906
MNAC 24188
© Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona 2024
Under the name of the Master of the Parrot, art historians have identified the hand of a Flemish painter, active in Antwerp in the early 16th century, who often included this exotic bird in some of the works attributed to him. In this painting, we can appreciate his skill in depicting objects and textures in great detail, within an intimate and close setting. It is a highly successful formula for representing Mary Magdalene as a young woman of great beauty.
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Spain or Italy
Velvet, 15th-16th century, velvet work with twisted
gold thread wound around a core of silk yarn
Terrassa Textile Museum, Ricard Viñas Geis collection
N.R. 3989-2
This velvet work features twisted gold thread wound around a core of silk yarn. The cut velvet technique is combined with velluto alluciolato, or “firefly velvet” in a symmetrical composition of great beauty. It is not known whether its origin is Hispanic or Italian, but is certainly an excellent example of the richness and quality of the fabrics of the Renaissance period.
Tomàs Barça
Gargoyle: Demon or Faun, between 1536-1592, carved stone
Reserve of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, 2023
Reial Acadèmia de Bones Lletres collection
MNAC 14849
© Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona 2024
The general studies were institutions dedicated to higher education, similar to modern universities. Those in Barcelona, which originated in the 15th century, had a new building from 1536, located in the upper part of La Rambla. Charles V attended the beginning of its construction and greatly supported its development. The building disappeared in the 19th century, but it left its mark on the city’s street names (Rambla dels Estudis) and in this magnificent work by Tomàs Barça. Water was channeled along the demon’s back, between the wings, and flowed out through its wide-open mouth.
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Hyeronimus Hopfer
Franciscus von Sickingen, c. 1540, chalcography
Museu de Lleida – Antoni Gelonch Deposit
GE-800
Franciscus von Sickingen va ser cavaller del Sacre Imperi Romà-Germànic i una figura molt influent en els primers anys de la reforma luterana, al segle XVI. També va jugar un paper molt important en l’elecció de Carles V com a emperador. En aquest gravat crida l’atenció la desproporció evident entre el cap i el cos del retratat, que podria tenir alguna intenció irònica. El cavaller apareix retratat de perfil, com els antics emperadors, amb els trets fisiognòmics molt marcats i vestint una rica armadura. A la part inferior, un lema en alemany fa al·lusió a les virtuts de la Reforma protestant.
Hyeronimus Wierix
Saint Ignatius of Loyola, c. 1595, etching
Museu de Lleida – Antoni Gelonch Deposit
GE-809
Saint Ignatius of Loyola was the founder of the Society of Jesus and played a major role in the spirituality of the sixteenth century. In this engraving he appears holding the book he wrote, which regulated the organisation and missions of the Jesuit order. The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus are shown open at the first line, headed by the phrase “For the greater glory of God”. It should be noted that Saint Ignatius maintained a very close relationship with the Requesens family. In fact, Estefania de Requesens belonged to his circle of followers during his stay in Barcelona between 1524 and 1526. Later, once widowed in 1546, Estefania returned to Barcelona and continued to support the Jesuits, promoting the presence of women within the Society of Jesus. In the chapel of the former Lesser Royal Palace of the Requesens, various relics of the saint are still preserved today.
George Glover
John Foxe, 1641, etching
Museu de Lleida – Antoni Gelonch Deposit
GE-832 bis
In the context of Protestantism, martyrologies were written throughout Europe. These were books that recounted the lives of the saints in great detail and were not devoid of a certain morbid fascination. One of the most famous was The Book of Martyrs, by John Foxe (c. 1516–1587), which was very popular among English Puritans. In this engraving, George Glover depicts John Foxe wearing a heavy fur-lined robe and a slouch hat, a wide-brimmed hat that was very popular at the time among certain social classes. In the upper left part of the print, the year of his death is indicated; on the right, his age at the time this portrait was made; and at the bottom, verses of a poem that praise Foxe’s figure. Several versions of this same portrait are preserved, as well as painted versions.
Jacques Tortorel
The Colloquy of Poissy of 1561, c. 1570, etching
Museu de Lleida – Antoni Gelonch Deposit
GE-845
Jacques Tortorel was a French printmaker known for his detailed and historically accurate depiction of events throughout the sixteenth century, in a context in which engravings served as informative and disseminating documents. The Colloquy of Poissy, which took place on 14 October 1561 in this city, was promoted by Catherine de Médici. However, the debate, in which theologians and members of the Church took part and which aimed to finally achieve religious peace in France in the wake of the conflicts between Catholics and Protestants, ultimately failed. This engraving is notable for the large number of figures that dominate the scene, with a carefully constructed hierarchy and staging. At the bottom of the print, Tortorel includes a caption that allows all the participants in this session to be identified.
Christoffel van Sichem
Emperor Charles V, c. 1580, etching
Museu de Lleida – Antoni Gelonch Deposit
GE-810
In this engraving, produced after the date of his death, Emperor Charles V (1500–1556) is depicted wearing the imperial crown as the man of great power he became in the sixteenth century, holding an orb in his left hand and leaning on a large sword with his right as defender of the Catholic faith. The emperor is dressed in armour and a rich fur-lined cloak. On the right rests his helmet on the coat of arms of the Habsburgs, while on the left a landscape with two ships and the mythical Pillars of Hercules in the background allude to the overseas conquests and to his motto “Plus ultra” (further beyond).
Anonymous
Reliquary bust of a saint, between 1575-1625, carved in gilded and polychromed wood
Reserve of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, 2023
MNAC 64146
© Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona 2024
The identity of the saint is unknown, as is the geographical provenance of the piece and its original location. However, this was a very common way of storing and displaying relics of saints which could be viewed through a small window. The bust, which is almost life-size, is made of gilded polychromed wood. Of particular note are the red-painted doorway to access the interior from the back, the hairstyle and the subtle smile on her face.
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Anonymous
Morion, 16th-17th century, embossed iron with
aplics daurats i de coure, cuir a l’interior
Frederic Marès Museum. Barcelona
MFM 4659
©Foto: ArtWorkPhoto.eu
Aquest tipus de casc va ser molt popular als exèrcits al segle XVI, sobretot els hispànics. Amb les seves formes característicament corbades, protegia amb molta efectivitat les parts més exposades del rostre, com el nas i les orelles, però també les més vitals, com el coll i el crani, amb una cresta que també podia ser esmolada. Aquest casc en concret devia pertànyer, sens dubte, a un alt càrrec militar, per la rica decoració en relleu, refinada, de tipus classicista i de temàtica mitològica, amb la trobada de Mart i Venus, els déus romans de la guerra i de l’amor.
Anton van Dashorst Mor
Portrait of a Knight of the Order of Saint James, third quarter of the 16th century, oil on wood
Reserve of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, 2023
Nacional d’Art de la Generalitat de Catalunya collection Dació Torelló
MNAC 200703
© Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona 2024
Anthonis Mor, o Antonio Moro (Utrecht, cap al 1517 – Anvers, 1577), fou un pintor i retratista de gran prestigi a Europa. En l’àmbit de la cort dels Àustries sabem que va retratar, entre d’altres, Carles V, el 1552; Maria Tudor, el 1554, i Felip II, el 1560. Desconeixem la identitat de l’home retratat en aquesta magnífica pintura, però sabem que pertanyia a l’orde de Sant Jaume pel collar amb la creu que llueix. Es tracta d’un home en plena maduresa, amb un posat i una mirada que denoten una gran seguretat, refermada per la posició de les mans, al cinturó i a l’empunyadura de l’espasa.
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Anon. Madrid.
Emperor Charles V, oil on panel, later than 1540
Reserve of the Museo Nacional del Prado
P002705
There is no certainty as to who the artist was, or when this small portrait of the emperor was painted. The small, round format suggests that it was created in an intimate and very private setting. These portraits were sometimes sent to family and friends to give an idea of the status and appearance of the sitter. Charles V is dressed in the Spanish fashion of the time, and the only ornament he wears is the Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece that he wears around his neck. It seems likely that it was painted in Spain, where this type of small portrait was very popular.
Leonardo da Vinci
A Treatise on Painting,
Naples, Francesco Ricciardo, 1733
Rare Book and Manuscript CRAI Library
University of Barcelona
This treatise brings together much of Leonardo da Vinci’s thoughts on the art of painting, which he saw as a science that artists should study and refine. It consists of scattered notes that the Florentine genius wrote throughout his life and which, after his death, were published thanks to a compilation by one of his disciples. In it, Leonardo emphasized the importance of observation as a fundamental source of knowledge, since sight is the most important sense that allows humans to understand the world and gives them the tools to depict it in their art.
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Manises (Valencia)
Plate, last quarter of the 15th century - first quarter of the 16th century, clay, earthenware
Commodate from the DHub Design Museum
Legacy, Par Espina
MCB 100.638
La ciutat de Manises, a València, fou un importantíssim centre productor de ceràmica de gran qualitat, ja des del segle XIV. Al segle XVI va viure una època de gran esplendor, amb peces com aquesta, que s’anomenaven també “producte de València”, i que lluïen decoració geomètrica amb uns característics reflexos en tons daurats i blaus. La mare d’Estefania de Requesens, Hipòlita Roís de Liori, era valenciana d’origen, i tenim constància documental que en més d’una ocasió havia fet comprar ceràmica de la seva terra per a algun dels seus palaus.
Talavera de la Reina (Castilla La Mancha)
Jug, 16th century, earthenware
Commodate from the DHub Design Museum
MCB 3.959
Fins al segle XVI, la ceràmica espanyola va estar molt influenciada per la tradició àrab. Talavera de la Reina va ser un dels centres productors més importants de l’època. Citada sovint per autors com Cervantes, Lope de Vega o Tirso de Molina, gaudia de gran prestigi però era d’ús habitual també entre les classes humils. Aquest exemple llueix una decoració característica, amb els colors blancs i blaus que la fan molt fàcilment identificable.
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Andrea Negroponte (Italy)
Plate, C. 1550, earthenware
Commodate from the DHub Design Museum
MCB 50.429
Andrea Negroponte was renowned Italian ceramicist, who produced a large body of work that can now be seen in various museums around the world. This plate shows a scene from the mythical fire that destroyed the city of Troy. We can see Aeneas fleeing the city with his father Anchises on his back, together with other characters depicted in a naturalistic style typical of the Italian Renaissance, that incorporated discoveries and techniques from the language of painting, such as perspective and the creation of depth in landscapes, into ceramic decoration.
Anonymous
Cicero alms dish, 16th century, embossed, chiselled and stamped brass
Frederic Marès Museum. Barcelona
MFM S-911
©Foto: ArtWorkPhoto.eu
Al segle XVI Barcelona era un important centre productor i receptor de manufactures metàl·liques. Sabem, gràcies als inventaris, que els elements de tipus metàl·lic eren molt abundants a les cases, amb diversos usos i finalitats. Les bacines, per exemple, podien servir com a grans safates, servidores o rentamans en els àmbits domèstic i litúrgic, però, al mateix temps, si es foradaven (com en aquest cas), es podien fer servir com a làmpades penjades del sostre, amb una alta capacitat per difondre la llum de les espelmes.
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Catalonia
Goblets, between 1590-1630, glass
Commodate from the DHub Design Museum
Legacy, Emili Cabot i Rovira
MADB 23.381, MADB 23.294, MADB 23.588
Sabem que, en una de les cartes d’Estefania de Requesens, va demanar a la seva mare, Hipòlita Roís de Liori, que li fes fer a Barcelona, amb destí a la cort, una dotzena de fines copes de vidre per a l’emperador i l’emperadriu. Al segle XVI, la Ciutat Comtal va ser un important centre productor de vidre de gran qualitat i refinament. Aquestes tres copes, de formes delicades, tenen una decoració característica en fils blancs que s’anomena lacticini, per la seva semblança a la llet.
Italy
Box, C1500, poplar wood, plaster and iron
Commodate from the DHub Design Museum
Legacy, Martí Estany
MADB 37.970
Aquestes capses o arquetes són un model de gran èxit a la Itàlia dels segles XV i XVI. Es podien regalar com a obsequi de prometatge o de noces, però també en altres ocasions. Per la seva rica decoració feta amb pastiglia (a mixture of plaster, marble dust and glue), they were considered luxury objects, intended for storing small precious and often valuable objects. Here, the decoration is an example of feminine virtue: we see Artemis bathing naked in the forest, but when Actaeon discovers her, she turns him into a stag and commands her dogs to kill him.
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Europe
Watch, 16th century, steel and copper
Commodate from the DHub Design Museum
Legacy, Martí Estany
MADB 38.857
Al segle XVI es van inventar i construir, a Alemanya, els primers rellotges portàtils de butxaca. L’ambició de l’home de poder controlar el temps en qualsevol lloc i moment va afavorir el perfeccionament d’aquestes primeres mostres de gran enginy, que tenien gairebé l’aspecte de joies. Aquests dos exemplars provenen de la col·lecció Martí Estany, un gran col·leccionista que tenia la residència d’estiu, precisament, a Molins de Rei. Aquesta forma de llibre pot fer al·lusió als llibres d’hores, tan usats en la societat de l’època del Renaixement.
Jo. Nylow (Europa)
Watch, second half of the 16th century, quartz crystal, silver, steel and copper
Commodate from the DHub Design Museum
Legacy, Martí Estany
MADB 38.809
This other example, also from the Martí Estany collection, allows an appreciation of the value that these early pocket watches could have as pieces of jewellery, In this case through the use of rock crystal on the cover and the back. The dial shows an intriguing maritime or river scene; a bridge with a city in the background, and a boat rowing towards it, clearly identifiable.
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Catalonia
Dice, bone, 16th century
Barcelona History Museum
MHCB 3023
El joc i les apostes eren molt habituals en la vida quotidiana al segle XVI, i generaven una infinitat de problemes, per les baralles i altres situacions i delictes que hi anaven associats. Aquest dau, fet amb os, és un objecte quotidià senzill, però ens parla d’alguns costums de l’època que han deixat un rastre molt extens i detallat en la documentació amb la promulgació de lleis, prohibicions i sancions, per motius d’ordre públic però també de problemes i denúncies entre particulars.
Catalonia
Desk, features and 19th century workmanship; walnut,
bone, boxwood, riverwood and iron
Frederic Marès Museum. Barcelona
MFM 4401
©Foto: ArtWorkPhoto.eu
The Renaissance period saw the beginnings of the great modern states, such as Spain and France, with their increasingly complex administrative and civil service systems. Paper culture became widespread, and written documentation became ever more abundant and complex in the form of letters, wills, contracts and other notarial protocols. Pieces such as this one ,served as portable desks, with little drawers for keeping writing materials and other valuable objects.
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Hans Schwartz
Charles V, 1520, platter
Reserve of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, 2023
MNAC 53603
© Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona 2024
On this medal, we see the portrait of a very young Charles V, just twenty years old, shortly after being crowned king and standing in this palace for the first time, when he was on his way to Barcelona to take the oath of office in 1519. On 30 November of that year, it was here in this palace that the young king received the message confirming that he had been declared emperor in succession to his grandfather Maximilian I. The young king’s first stay resulted in the marriage of a captain of his guard, Juan de Zúñiga Avellaneda, to the young Estefania de Requesens, and years later the birth of their first son, Lluís de Requesens i de Zúñiga.
Leone Leoni
Commemoration of Charles V at the Battle of Mühlberg, 1549, silver
Reserve of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, 2023
MNAC 93986
© Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona 2024
Charles V is depicted here at the age of almost fifty, wearing a cuirass and laurel wreath in the style of the great emperors of Rome. This medal commemorates the great victory of his troops over the Protestants of the Schmalkaldic League at the Battle of Mühlberg. You can see a 3D model of this piece, which can be enlarged and viewed from the back, where there is a complex composition rich in detail, with figures and actions that are a symbolic reminder of that historic event.
Jacopo da Trezzo
Commemoration of Prince Philip's 28th birthday, 1555, silver
Reserve of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, 2023
MNAC 53618
© Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona 2024
Philip II, sometimes known as Philip the Prudent, inherited an empire that was as immense as it was complex to administer and maintain from his father Charles V. This medal was made to commemorate the emperor's abdication in favour of his son. During his reign, Louis de Requesens, the prince's companion in his youth and formative years, was to assist him in the government of his empire, first as governor of the duchy of Milan, and then as governor of the Low Countries.
Giovanni Antonio de' Rossi
Commemoration of Pius V at the Battle of Lepanto, 1571, bronze
Reserve of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, 2023
MNAC 92165
© Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona 2024
The Battle of Lepanto is considered one of the most important and decisive naval engagements in history, when some 212 ships of the Holy League faced more than 250 galleys and galliots of the Turkish Ottoman fleet on 7 October 1571. The defeat of the Turks, the almost total destruction of their fleet, and the loss of 30,000 lives finally brought a measure of tranquillity to the Mediterranean. Luis de Requesens took part in the battle and played a leading role under John of Austria.
Philip II
Croat de Barcelona, 1598, silver
Reserve of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, 2023
MNAC 24722
© Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona 2024
Coin, legal tender.
Philip II
Half croat de Barcelona, 1596, silver
Reserve of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, 2023
MNAC 11533
© Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona 2024
Coin, legal tender.
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Joana and Carles
Barcelona denarius, 1516-1555, copper and silver alloy
Reserve of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, 2023
MNAC 15684
© Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona 2024
Coin, legal tender.
Joana and Carles
Barcelona denier, 1523, copper and silver alloy
Reserve of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, 2023
MNAC 27039
© Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona 2024
Coin, legal tender.
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Joana and Carles
Coat of Arms of Seville, 1543-1555, gold
Reserve of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, 2023
MNAC 107457
© Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona 2024
Coin, legal tender.
Joana and Carles
4 Mexican centimes, 1548-1555, silver
Reserve of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, 2023
Legacy, Bosch i Alsina
MNAC 12427
© Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona 2024
Coin, legal tender.
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Philip II
8 Potosí centimes, 1556-1598, silver
Reserve of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, 2023
MNAC 40164
© Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona 2024
Coin, legal tender.
Philip III
8 Segovia centimes, 1589, silver
Reserve of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, 2023
Legacy, Bosch i Alsina
MNAC 13427
© Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona 2024
Coin, legal tender.
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