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The El Escorial Arabic Manuscript Collection and a Study of Its Bookbindings
From February 11, 2014 until February 22, 2014
Conference given by José Luis del Valle Merino and Guadalupe Rubio de UrquíaFebruary 18, 2014 – MADRID
The library founded by King Philip II at the Monastery in El Escorial was created not only due to one of the main interests which the king had throughout his life, that of collecting and storing books, but also one of the fundamental ideals of humanism. The Royal Library of El Escorial possesses one of the best collections of Arabic manuscripts, having begun the acquisition of such works in 1571 through Juan Páez de Castro. As of that date, the books purchased formed a collection which also included works seized in various battles, such as the Battle of Lepanto. After the death of Felipe II, the collection included approximately 500 Arabic manuscripts.
Given the historical and cultural importance of the Arabic works at El Escorial, Casa Árabe, with the collaboration of the Association for the Promotion of Artistic Bookbinding and the Royal Library of the Monastery of El Escorial, is organizing this conference dedicated to taking a more in-depth look at the relevance of the Monastery’s bibliographic collection and the interest of its unique editions as part of our heritage.
The event, which will be presented by Eduardo López Busquets, the General Director of Casa Árabe, will include a speech by José Luis del Valle Merino, Director of the Royal Library at the Monastery of El Escorial and Guadalupe Rubio de Urquía, President of the Association for the Promotion of Artistic Bookbinding (AFEDA).
The event will be taking place on Tuesday, February 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the Casa Árabe auditorium in Madrid (at Calle Alcalá, 62). Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
During his presentation, the Director of the Royal Library of the Monastery of El Escorial will be explaining the original founding of the Library, highlighting that it is not just a storehouse of books, but rather a place for study and scientific work, with collections of drawings and engravings, portraits of personages, mathematic and scientific instruments, maps, globes, astrolabes, reproduction of flora and fauna, etc. Furthermore, he will be distinguishing between the original collection of Arabic manuscripts, those which were deposited in this collection, known as the Regia Laurentina, prior to the seventeenth century, and the modern collection of Arab manuscripts, which was the result of the additions to the Islamic collection in the years of 1614 and 1656.
The President of the Association for the Promotion of Artistic Bookbinding (AFEDA) will be speaking about her study on the bindings in the Arabic collections at El Escorial, a topic on which she recently published an article titled “The Bindings of the Arabic Collection at El Escorial and the Rico Sinobas Collection at the National Library of Spain,” which contains a first approach to the historiographical study of the bindings of Arab codices at the Royal Library of the Monastery of El Escorial.
Organized by:
Given the historical and cultural importance of the Arabic works at El Escorial, Casa Árabe, with the collaboration of the Association for the Promotion of Artistic Bookbinding and the Royal Library of the Monastery of El Escorial, is organizing this conference dedicated to taking a more in-depth look at the relevance of the Monastery’s bibliographic collection and the interest of its unique editions as part of our heritage.
The event, which will be presented by Eduardo López Busquets, the General Director of Casa Árabe, will include a speech by José Luis del Valle Merino, Director of the Royal Library at the Monastery of El Escorial and Guadalupe Rubio de Urquía, President of the Association for the Promotion of Artistic Bookbinding (AFEDA).
The event will be taking place on Tuesday, February 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the Casa Árabe auditorium in Madrid (at Calle Alcalá, 62). Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
José Luis del Valle Merino
During his presentation, the Director of the Royal Library of the Monastery of El Escorial will be explaining the original founding of the Library, highlighting that it is not just a storehouse of books, but rather a place for study and scientific work, with collections of drawings and engravings, portraits of personages, mathematic and scientific instruments, maps, globes, astrolabes, reproduction of flora and fauna, etc. Furthermore, he will be distinguishing between the original collection of Arabic manuscripts, those which were deposited in this collection, known as the Regia Laurentina, prior to the seventeenth century, and the modern collection of Arab manuscripts, which was the result of the additions to the Islamic collection in the years of 1614 and 1656.
Guadalupe Rubio de Urquía
The President of the Association for the Promotion of Artistic Bookbinding (AFEDA) will be speaking about her study on the bindings in the Arabic collections at El Escorial, a topic on which she recently published an article titled “The Bindings of the Arabic Collection at El Escorial and the Rico Sinobas Collection at the National Library of Spain,” which contains a first approach to the historiographical study of the bindings of Arab codices at the Royal Library of the Monastery of El Escorial.
Organized by:
