The next room, of great size, is a place reserved to the marchioness’s private use, and it is known as Marchioness’s Office.

It has a rectangular floor, covered by an elaborate wooden ceiling decorated with Mudejar Arabesques, such as the eight-pointed stars. From its centre, an originally designed lamp hangs, made in forged iron in the 17th century, where we can see the famous insignias of the House of the Saavedra: “Suffer to live” and “Blessed those who fought for their faith“.

The window faces the wide and flowery Courtyard of the Orange trees, and it provides the room with plenty of light. On both sides of the window, there are two portraits of “King Felipe IV” and “Isabel de Borbón” from the 17th century, attributed to the school of Velázquez.

On the side wall, there is a big Flemish tapestry from the 16th century, representing “Alexander the Great offering a sacrifice at the altar of fire“, which is not strange, as it is well known his ethical and tolerant referent in the Low Countries of that time.

On the other wall, we can see the marchioness’s small table-desk, as well as the different pieces of furniture and items for writing, even a heraldic tapestry from the 17th century. We can also see a Spanish Baroque table with decorated legs, whose board has a decoration based on tortoiseshell and ivory with scenes from the life of Christ.

At the end of the Marchioness’s Office a beautiful fireplace stands out, made with plaster, where the friezes, garlands and scallop shells provide it with a classicist character which does not clash, however, with the rest of the room. In the centre of the composition, and surrounded by garlands, there is the crest of the family Saavedra.

Next to the fireplace, we can see an exceptional Louis XIV armchair, with high and straight back. The armchair has curve moulding in the shape of an “H” connecting the four legs and reinforcing them. The upholstery, both in the back and the seat, is made in petit point and decorated with vegetable and flower motifs.

If you are wondering what to do in Córdoba, we recommend you visit Viana Palace hiring one of our guided tours. We will dedicate there a special chapter to the Marchioness’s Office. Choose to do high quality sightseeing with qualified staff. Do not hesitate, ArtenCórdoba is the best option.

Text: J.A.S.C.