South View of the Cathedral of Burgos

South View of the Cathedral of Burgos 

[Robert?] Page, 1780 

Copper engraving 

Construction of Burgos cathedral in its present form began in the thirteenth century. An earlier Romanesque building founded by Alfonso VI in the eleventh century proved inadequate to accommodate the growing population of what became the de facto capital of León and Castile. The replacement was designed in a Gothic style that is related to examples in northern France, but it was not until the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries that Burgos acquired its distinctive flamboyant profile: the spires of the main façade, the Chapel of the Condestable, and the dome of the transept all make this splendid building unmistakeable in outline (see George Vivian’s distant view, 3.1). 

Dillon’s print depicts the south elevation of the cathedral in a detailed scheme intended to explain the building to the reader. The legend in the margin identifies the different parts of the building: two steeples at the front entrance on the left; the main tower in the centre with eight pinnacles and the statue of St James, the patron of the cathedral on the top; the Chapel of the Condestable to the right; and the Archbishop’s Palace in the lower central part. The viewpoint is directly south of the Chapel of the Condestable, which is seen in parallel to the picture plane so that only four of its eight turrets are visible. It is not clear who made the drawing for this plate. It is signed ‘Page sculp[si]t’, possibly the mark of the engraver and printmaker Robert Page (d. 1832). 

Title: South View of the Cathedral of Burgos 

Author/Artist: [Robert?] Page (d. 1832). 

Technique and Material: Copper engraving. 

Dimensions: 280 x 430 mm. 

Published: Plate 5 from John Talbot Dillon, Travels through Spain with a view to illustrate the Natural History and Physical Geography of that Kingdom. Second edition. London: Baldwin, 1782. Facing page 125. 

Date: 1782. 

Marks and Inscriptions: below the plate ‘Published as the Act directs. April 15th 1780. AA. Steeples at the principal Front. B. Tower in the Centre, adorned with eight Pinnacles, & the figure of Santiago the Patron of this Cathedral, on his Warhorse. C. Chapel of the Condestable. D.D. Archbishops Palace. Page Sculp[si]t’. 

Institution: Barry Ife Collection.