Palacio de Fabio Nelli

About

The Palacio de Fabio Nelli is, according to the critics and historians, the Renaissance building of the most important classical period of the city of Valladolid (Castile and León, Spain). According to the architect Antonio Bustamante García, "it's considered this palace the best exponent and work of first row inside the Classicism of the civil architecture of Valladolid". The art critics ensure that had much to do with the result of the work, the good relations and understanding between the sponsor, the banker Fabio Nelli, and the genius and mastery of the author Pedro of Mazuecos El Mozo. Built in a period in which Valladolid became more decadent, its construction lasted some twenty years, succeeding periods of inactivity in the work and a change of architect due to the death of Juan de la Lastra, the original architect. Decorated and finished following Italian classicist style, its facade, playground and stairs are the epitome of this type of architecture in Valladolid. After the death of the banker the Palacio had several uses, until in the 20th century it became headquarters of the Valladolid Museum, an institution destined to collect all the archaeological and artistic remains...

Valladolid in the mid-16th century and beginnings of the 17th was a city that knew its own splendour, and began a decadent stage that would last centuries. Fabio was born in 1533, but the city had stagnated since the defeat of the comuneros. Six years earlier, in 1527, Valladolid witnessed one of the most important events of its history: the birth of the future king Felipe II in the Palace of Pimentel. That same year, work began on the new colegiata, which, after several alterations at the project and delays, obtained the rank of cathedral, although it was never finished. In 1561 a fire destroyed a large part of the city, after which Felipe II promised to reconstruct the destroyed areas, giving the city the first regular Greater Square of Spain. The king's decision to settle the Court in Madrid supposed a serious problem for the city (the same occurred with Toledo), which initiated the decadent way in which it remained until well into the 19th century. It received a breath of cool air with the granting of the title of city and with the arrival of the Court in 1601, but five years later, Felipe III returned again to Madrid and Valladolid was plunged in lethargy.

was an important Valladolid banker born in 1533. His father, Alfonso Nelli, died broke in Tábara ( Zamora ), having belonged to a banking family of Siena (Italy). His mother was Damiana de Espinosa. After his father died, Fabio Nelli left Seville in the company of his uncles Pedro and María de Espinosa. There he spent his professional life.

He married at maturity with Mrs. Violante Rivadeneira (who died in 1591). They had two daughters: Damiana, who married his cousin Hernando de Rivadeneira and Leonor, who married Cristóbal de Benavente y Benavides and which later became earl of Fontenar.

Damiana had a son called Alonso Nelli (1601-1662) who married Catalina de Zúñiga. They had a son called Baltasar Francisco de Rivadeneira y Zúñiga, whom Felipe IV awarded the title of marquis of la Vega de Boecillo in 1663. It is the origin of the shield seen on the front of the Fabio Nelli palace and which is preserved on the grounds of Boecillo.

Fabio Nelli constituted mayorazgo in 1595 and ratified it in 1608 with anything new. He did it in favour of his greater daughter Damiana and of his descendants. After Damiana's death in 1614, the mayorazgo passed to his son Alonso Nelli.

The economic prosperity of the city -consequence of this close relation with the Crown-, that since the 12th century had conceded the first fairs, attracted to the city wealthy families of merchants and bankers.

Fabio Nelli de Espinosa, son of the banker sienés Alfonso Nelli, was born in Valladolid, but the family businesses at a time of booming trade with America brought him outside his hometown until 1576, date of his definitive return and in which he ordered the construction of his residence.

On several houses purchased to the Earl of Osorno, the architect Juan de la Lastra posed a Spanish residence. But since 1595 the architect Pedro de Mazuecos introduced elements of Italian inspiration: symmetrical frontage with two towers and access in the center, on line with the entrance to the playground. This has columns in three of his sides, while the four is closed with a wall, when orienting to the north, and be so cold.

The works of the palace initiated in 1576 in the solar of the main houses already quoted. April 15 of the same year the banker Fabio Nelli and the teacher of stonework Juan de la Lastra signed an agreement to carry out the foundations of the walls of the building. In this document were perfectly determined measures, materials and how to work them:

Juan de la Lastra built the foundations and the corresponding areas. The plan was the usual one for Valladolid palaces: a hallway on the left side of the frontage, with the doors of the street and of the playground misaligned forming an oblique line without taking into account an axis of symmetry. He placed the access door to the playground from the hallway in steep form to avoid all vision from the external door.

Juan de la Lastra took as a model to carve the door of the hallway which led to the playground, the architect Baldassare Peruzzien and his work of restoration of the Maximum Colonne palace, both in form and location. The works continued during the following six years according to the traces of the palace in Valladolid tradition, with the typical offset hallway, as was made in the Berruguete's house, Escudero-Herrera palace, Pimentel palace and in so many others. But the work of Juan de la Lastra was truncated by the illness and death of the artist who, in January 1582 gave testament shortly before his death.

From that year the sculptor Francisco de la Maza and the architect Pedro de Mazuecos el Mozo were commissioned to continue the construction of the building. It has news of the respective agreements thanks to the document of the Process of Hierarchical Analysis. appearing with the signature of the notary Miguel Palacios, (year of 1582, leg. 531, fol. 100). In these documents are all sorts of instructions and details for style of columns and stairs of the main playground, from traces of Pedro de Mazuecos el Mozo. That year began the works of playground and stairs, which lasted four months as is demanded in the agreement.

In 1589 Fabio Nelli decided to personally deal with the management of the works of his palace (until the moment his brother had addressed) staying in the rear section which was the only ones finished even with decoration. The first step was the completion of the frontage and cover which turned to the young and promising Diego de Praves accepted, counting as guarantors with Juan de Nates and Juan de Mazarredonda and witness Pedro de Arce. In the agreement referred to at the time which should provide the works and the established price:

In the month of December still were working in the bay of the front, so the occupants of the palace had big difficulties to go out; Fabio Nelli asked permission to his neighbour, the bricklayer Domingo de Azcutia to be able to use an alley of his property that had access to the Bridge street (current Expósitos).

Works was stopped for five years. The historians do not have very clear ideas about the cause, although it may have been the economic crisis that began in the last decade of the century, compared to previous years (80's decade) when everything had been prosperity and abundance. After those five years, Fabio Nelli commissioned works of the forward and cover to Pedro de Mazuecos El Mozo, giving all his trust. Between the beginnings of the works of the palace in 1576 and the new agreement, had released new ideas in the world of the architecture in Italy. Solutions that gave Mazuecos for the location of the hallway and size and position of the playground and for the construction of the cover were inspired by the Treaty of Sebastián Serlio, Of the Antiquity, Third Book. Pedro de Mazuecos was one of the most influential architects inside the Valldadolid classicistic focus.

The new trace based on the principles of symmetry and centrality offered by Renaissance, following at the same time theories and Sebastián Serlio tips.

In the case of the Fabio Nelli Palace it was not to restore a Gothic building but to conclude a frontage and cover in a building whose interior did not exactly meet the new fashions. According to the taste of Fabio Nelli, the palace had to finish following the latest Italian fashion and for that purpose fully relied on Pedro de Mazuecos.

Pedro of Mazuecos moved the door of entrance to the playground from the left corner where it was to the center of the bay, thus leaving the new centering hallway. The entrance from the street was also adjusted, placing it in the middle of the frontage. From this disposal centred and confronted Mazuecos designed and distributed the rest of the building, giving to the palace the classicistic principles which so far had not experienced in the palatial architecture of the Northern plateau: symmetry, frontality and centrality.

The frontage composes of the central body and two lateral towers, advanced compared to the rest. It is made in stone for the zócalo and brick for the walls, appearing all plaster except the cover.