De Madrid à Bayone par Valladolid & Burgos
Louis Dutens, 1779
Printed book
Louis Dutens (1730-1812) was born in Tours but lived most of his life in England, served as British chargé d’affairs in Turin, became vicar of Elsdon in Northumberland, and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1775.
The Itinéraire was compiled while Dutens was conducting the son of the Duke of Northumberland on his Grand Tour. The first two editions covered France, Italy, and Germany but Spain was not included until this, the third edition in 1779. It provides detailed information about distance and time between staging posts, local products, population data, sights to see and assessments of the available accommodation.
This opening shows the route from Madrid to Burgos via El Escorial. The author is outspoken in his comments, both positive and negative. The palace-monastery of El Escorial is described as monument full of great riches, beautiful pictures, superb ceilings in the church, and an impressive library. Valladolid, in contrast, is a ‘grande ville, laide & mal bâtie’ [a large town, ugly and badly built]. Its streets are badly paved and the palace and the cathedral ‘peu dignes de curiosité’.
Dutens strongly advises travellers not to take large amounts of luggage with them on their journey: a light carriage and four followed by a baggage wagon and pair will be quicker and much more comfortable. But, as he points out here, the journey from Madrid to Vitoria is by calèche —a light carriage drawn by two mules— and takes ten days.
Dutens also travelled in Europe with the book collector James Bindle, Lord Algernon Percy, Stuart Mackenzie, and the Marquess of Bute.
Title: De Madrid à Bayone par Valladolid & Burgos
Author/Artist: Louis Dutens (1730-1812).
Technique and Material: Printed book.
Dimensions: 205 x 125 mm (each page).
Published: Louis Dutens, Itinéraire des routes les plus fréquentées ou Journal d’un voyage aux villes principales de l’Europe en 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771. Third edition. London: William Faden, 1779. Pages 146-147.
Date: 1779.
Marks and Inscriptions: Letterpress text in French, in tabular form.
Institution: Barry Ife Collection.
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Details
Title
De Madrid à Bayone par Valladolid & Burgos.
Artist
Louis Dutens (1730-1812).
Date
1779.
Medium and Support
Printed book, paper.
Dimensions
205 x 125 mm (each page).
Marks and Inscriptions
Letterpress text in French, in tabular form.
Institution
Barry Ife Collection
Louis Dutens, Itinéraire des routes les plus fréquentées ou Journal d’un voyage aux villes principales de l’Europe en 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771. Third edition. London: William.