We head for Goya’s Hall, and to do that, first we need to go through the Gallery of the Battles, a corridor named like this due to the four large canvases hanging on one the walls, and belonging to the “War of the 30 years”. They represent the battles of “Louvaine“, “Güeldres“, “Saint Omer” and “Thionville”. The other two paintings completing the series are located in the gallery leading to the Hall of the Wooden Ceiling.

After the Gallery of the Battles we will go through the Gallery of Goya’s Hall, which is the area before the hall we are explaining. From this gallery, we should mention an exceptional oil on canvas, “The Adoration of the Magi“, by the painter Luca Giordano from Naples.

Goya’s Hall is characterized by a neoclassical decoration. We will not have this feeling of chaos caused by the amount of objects, as there is a great harmony between styles and colours.

The hall has a white wooden skirting board decorated with geommetrical motifs, with rectangles and octagons, framed by fine mouldings made in gold leaf. The clear ceiling is made in plaster and divided in three rectangles; on the sides there is a rhomboid figure in the centre, decorated with canes and acanthus tendrils. The central rectangle has two circles on its sides, in whose centres there are lobed vaults, from which Empire glass and bronze lamps from La Granja hang.

The hall is named after the tapestries by Goya displayed, about costumbrist theme, most of them representing scenes from the life in Madrid, such as “The soldiers and the lady“, “The basket seller“, “The stilts” or “Children playing in a seesaw“. There are also some examples by José del Castillo, such as “The baker of the fountain of the door of Saint Vincent” or “Hunter drinking from a wineskin with a huntsman“; orby Ramón Vayeu “Local boys dancing” and “Singing peasants“, or “Peasants smoking” by David Teniers. There are up to nine tapestries, all of them made in the Royal Factory of Santa Bárbara, in the 18th century.

As for the pictorial paintings, we can highlight a “Portrait of Carlos IV“, attributed to Goya, although this hypothesis is not confirmed. Two anonymous portraits of Kings “Felipe V” and “Alfonso XII” complete the art gallery.

In accordance with the romantic atmosphere of the tapestries, we can also mention the furniture, consisting most of it of 18th-century Empire pieces: eight Carlos IV-style armchairs, a sofa and eight oval stools. We should also mention the Sheraton English bureau with desk, a marquetry Carlos IV-style glass cabinet and a chest of drawers in the same style and silver handles, over which we can see a porcelain clock of the Buen Retiro.

If you are wondering what to visit in Córdoba, a good option would be Viana Palace, choosing one of our guided tours. This way you will learn everything about Goya’s Hall. Choosing to do high quality sightseeing is choosing ArtenCórdoba.

Text: J.A.S.C.