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a green book with red writing on the front of ita close up of an old book with writing on itan old book with a picture of a horse on it ' s covera picture of a book with writing on ita picture of a drawing of a building on the corner of a streetan old drawing of a plan of a house with a courtyardan old drawing of a plan of a building with a courtyarda drawing of a man riding a horse in a fieldan old drawing of a plan of a house with a courtyardan old drawing of a plan of a kitchen and dining areaan old drawing of a plan of a building with a lot of roomsa picture of an old book with writing on itan old drawing of a building with a clock tower on top of itan old drawing of a building with a clock tower on top of itdrawing of a drawing of a building with a clock on the front of itan old drawing of a plan of a building with a lot of roomsan old drawing of a plan of a building with a courtyardan old drawing of a plan of a building with a red line on the flooran old drawing of a plan of a building with a red line on the floora drawing of a building with a clock on the top of itdrawing of a drawing of a building with people standing in front of itan old drawing of a large building with a lot of windows
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54 - Unpublished Album of the Project for the Extension and Renov…

Estimate €2,500 - €4,000
Sale commission
Description
Unpublished Album of the Project for the Extension and Renovation of the Royal Palace of Spain in Rome. Antoni Farrés Aymerich (Barcelona, active in Madrid, 1881–1917) 46 x 65 cm. A highly interesting album documenting the project for the extension and renovation of the Royal Palace of Spain in Rome, now the Embassy of Spain to the Holy See. As specified on the third page, the project was designed “so that the Embassies of His Majesty the King of Spain to the Holy See and to the King of Italy may be accommodated within it, with the services of each operating in complete independence from one another.” The album includes a photograph of the façade; five plans on tracing paper entitled “Plans of the Façade and the Existing Layout”, signed in Rome on 30 June 1893 by the Catalan architect Antoni Farrés; and nine watercolours, one of them foldout, illustrating the “Project for Extension and Renovation”. The watercolours comprise three drawings of the building’s three façades (“Piazza di Spagna”, “Via Frattina” and “Via Mario di Fiori”), signed by the architect; four drawings showing the floor plans of the building’s four storeys, signed by Farrés in Madrid; and two drawings of sections AB and CD, also signed. The album also includes a pen and ink drawing depicting the “Existing Condition [at the time] of the Façade of the Royal Palace of Spain and the Adjacent House on Via Mario di Fiori” and the “Existing Condition [at the time] of the Façades of the Royal Palace of Spain and the Adjacent Houses on Via Frattina”. This document, written in Italian, was signed by the architect Mercandetti in January 1890, making it three years earlier than Antoni Farrés’s project. As far as can be ascertained, the project was ultimately never carried out. This exceptional album therefore captures architect Antoni Farrés’s vision of how the renovation should have been undertaken. The present document is thus a living testament to the ephemeral and silent dimension of the art of architecture, offering an illuminating example of the many buildings, renovations and extensions that are designed but never realised owing to practical difficulties, political and economic circumstances, unforeseen changes of direction and other vicissitudes, despite all the effort and work invested in them. In other words, to put it more plainly, there is many a slip between cup and lip. Façade photograph dimensions: 19.5 x 25 cm. Tracing paper plans dimensions: 46 x 60 cm. Watercolours dimensions: 46 x 60 cm. Foldout watercolour dimensions: 46 x 86 cm. Pen and ink drawing dimensions: 25 x 29 cm.
About the sale ABBATIALIS. Res Sacra.
Auction location
Auction time 11/05/2026 at 7:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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