281
The Errant Ceiling
One of the first details of the alfarje that drew our attention is the
recurrence of the Solis surname coat of arms, which led us to locate
it in the house that the family had in the current Plaza del Duque in
Seville. From there we developed a parallel research concerning the
development of the residence and its first owners.
The most important branch of the family in the city started from
Lorenzo Gómez Solis —known as Gómez de Solis—, who was the
son of Diego Fernández de Solis y Ovando, who had been born in
Cáceres. We do not know the exact time he arrived in Seville, where
he married in second nuptials to Dª Beatriz de Esquivel, who be-
longed to a converted family well established in the city
12
. This
wedding must have occurred around 1495, when he was already a
resident in Seville, twenty fourth and Commander of the Order of
Santiago. These positions were implemented with the following lo-
cal ones: Loyal Executor,
Alcalde Mayor de las Sacas del Arzobispado
,
and in charge of the
zobairía
of the customs, which had inherited
from his father-in-law, Pedro de Esquivel
13
. It must be also added to
his assets the Manor and Fortress of Ojén in Málaga, the Possession
of the Aroche castle in Huelva
14
, and for some years the mayoralty of
the Sanlúcar de Barrameda fortress in Cádiz
15
His life career stands out for its dedication to military service for
the Catholic Monarchs; a career which had contributed to his previ-
ous appointments and comfortable life
16
. We do not know when his
military stage began, but it is likely that he took part in the War of
Granada. The most reliable data appears from 1500, when, according
to Ortiz de Zuniga, he accompanied Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba
in the Italian offensive as a Colonel
17
.
His children include a first child prior to the Rodrigo Solis marriage,
who followed the ecclesiastical career
18
; and another four that he had
with Beatriz de Esquivel (+1568), two males on which he founded a
Mayorazgo
and two daughters whom he provided significant dow-
ries ahead of their marriage: Gaspar Antonio de Solis, Melchor Luís
de Solis —died without descendants in 1539—, Francisca and Cat-
alina de Solis
19
. He finally died in Seville in 1526, and was buried in
the parish of San Antonio Abad.
His Sevillian palace house stands out among its rich heritage. It lo-
cated in the Plaza del Duque de Medina Sidonia, in the quarter of
San Miguel; a residence known for many years in the city, whose
memory was kept until the nineteenth century. González de León
mentions her in his description of the square and palace of the
Dukes of Medina Sidonia:
The houses of the Solis gentlemen, that of Tello and the one
where the Sres. De Cavalieri live are also in this square, all of
them principal though well below that of the Dukes of Medina.
All have patios of columns, arches and corridors, fountains nur-
tured by the water of the pipes, comfortable and large rooms,
and the first one (the Solis’), good gardens for the leisure
20
.
The exact location of the residence in contemporary Seville mapping
has been made possible thanks to references like this. The importance
of the family in themodern Seville somehowmade thembementioned
by chroniclers of the city; for example, the aforementionedOrtiz de Zu-
niga accounts that the house of the Solis Knights adjoined the parish of
San Antonio Abad —the current Chapel of the Hermandad del Silen-
cio—, and also that both buildings were connected by a gallery
21
.
This information allows locating the estate on the south side of the cur-
rent Plaza del Duque, almost at the start of Calle Alfonso XII, the former
calle de las Armas. The recent transcription of the will of Gomez de So-
lis, written in Malaga in February 1518, confirms this point. The house
appears as the most important value that the Commander bequeaths
to his firstborn. The text confirms that it bordered the old Hospital de
San Antón
22
, the headquarters of the homonymous parish, which had
been bought to the Infante Juan de Granada
23
. This property is the seed
of a dwelling that would be enriched with pieces like the King’s Office
alfarje; its chronology fromthe beginning of the sixteen century fits per-
fectly with the structural and decorative solution of the ceiling.
Thanks to this data we know that the house occupied a large portion of
an irregular block which can be identified in the plans of Seville carried
out by the Asistente Olavide in 1771, bordered by the calle de las Armas
and Plaza del Duque to thewest, calle SanEloy to the east, and the calles
Monsalves and Clavel to the south24. This block included, besides the
Solis residence, the Tello family homes, the Monsalves’ (since 1516) and
the hospital facilities. Although the area has changed, we believe that
the references of San Anton and the Plaza del Duque would allow posi-
tioning theCommander’s estate at the north end of the lot, correspond-
ing to the current one and three numbers of Calle Alfonso XII, and five
of Plaza del Duque, all of which are modern buildings today.
This block was subjected to urban changes that led to the opening
of new streets and the demolition of traditional houses from the last
quarter of the nineteenth century, keeping the church of San Anto-
nio Abad with some modifications and changes of ownership25. In
1791, after the extinction of the Antonian Order, the friars left the
building, which was first ceded to the Hermandad del Silencio, and
then to the Dominican community of San Diego until the Mendiza-
bal disentailment (1817-1839). From then on, the space was reused
as a school and garrison until the area of the convent was finally
demolished in 1869, opening the current calle el Silencio26. The old
southern side of the block was thus modified.
Regarding the North end, the facade lines have remained, although
some demolitions of the original estates occurred, among them was
that of the Solis Knights. The Gran Hotel Roma was inaugurated
in 1897; we know some images of its facade (the most transformed
part if any) and inside, which could keep some of the old structure.
The establishment remained open with the only apparent change of
ownership, (it was named Great Hotel Venice from the early twenti-
eth century), until the mid-1960s.
The roof was dismantled and stored during any of these actions. Its
subsequent use was taken into account during the dismantling pro-
cess, as its pieces were listed with red ochre in an intuitive and fast
manner. During the restoration of the King’s Office, around 1977,
Rafael Manzano must have recovered it and, aware of its values, he
located it in this hall. Somehow a part of Gomez de Solis continues to
serve the Kings, as the Commander of Santiago did in somany battles.
Construction analysis and formal description
One of the most interesting features of the piece is the integration of
Mudejar, Gothic and early Renaissance shapes proper to the archi-
tectural atmosphere of the early sixteenth century.
Compositionally, we are speaking of a flat ceiling which consists of
a network of beams that provide it with a crosslinked aspect, thus
multiplying its ornamental possibilities and giving it a great depth.
