Seville, Gate of Xeres

Seville, Gate of Xeres  

Louis Haghe after George Vivian, 1838 

Hand-coloured lithograph 

The lithograph depicts a view of the ancient Puerta de Jerez, which no longer exists. This gate served as one of the entrances in the walls of Seville and was built under the rule of the Almoravid dynasty. It marked the beginning of the road leading to Jerez de la Frontera, a city renowned for its sherry production, located southwest of Seville. Vivian has added a slice of Sevillian life by depicting a male figure guiding an ox cart laden with barrels, while two men are depicted resting by the road.  

The gate and the wall were demolished in the nineteenth century due to new urban developments. In the early twentieth century, in preparation for Seville’s Ibero-American Exhibition in 1929, the buildings surrounding the former gate were also torn down to create space for a square featuring a monumental fountain and the Avenida de la Constitución. This square, initially named Plaza de Andalucía, was later renamed Puerta de Jerez to commemorate the ancient gate. 

Title: Seville, Gate of Xeres.  

Author/Artist: Louis Haghe (1806-1885, lithographer) after a drawing by George Vivian (1798-1873). 

Technique and Material: Hand-coloured lithograph, paper.  

Size: 270 x 400 mm (image), 550 x 365 mm (page).  

Published: Plate 7 from George Vivian, Spanish Scenery. London: P & D Colnaghi, 1838.  

Date: 1838. 

Marks and Inscriptions: on the plate, bottom left: ‘G. Vivian del. L. Haghe lith.’; right: ‘Seville Gate of Xeres’.  

Institution: Barry Ife Collection.