61067 IMGR14

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PREFACE

cf pateno rcbdng to gik leachcr hinging*. A ccrcain amount hu been writtcn about thc wodumy in FUnden which. (roń che sevcncecnih cencury onwards, rivallcd chac of Spain, m    chcn in    AU ttus inłónnaoon is to bc found oniy in tomcwhat obscurc

to co mc by. Most of k only dcals with che subjccc firom a narioaal _TrT^.|w^^ while turpeisingly litde has been recordcd about the product itsclf, che changci duongh wfluch k p»T«^ and che various mcthods cmploycd in ics prcparadon and orna-■Maabon. An importanc anempc co remedy the aioiadon and bring togethcr such _M wat chcn availablc was madę by a Frcnch autbor in a volume publńhcd ki 1925 whach concained 48 eacccUenc places.¹ The pccsenc author*s aim is co cccord morę kdarmabon about che naturę of che pcoduct in ics several mctamorphoscs, and lo dcaw a moce compcchcmńrc picturc of ks manufacture ovcr a widcr arca and a longer period of dme !*««" has hkhctto been attempted. He is well aware chac whac fcDows is linie naoce *»" a broad oudine whach lcavcs ample scope for che filling in of dctail. In par-tacular, a moce compcchcnsivc scudy and detailed cccord chan hc has found possiblc of all che anibbk onmpks of leachcr hangings maghc sctve co establish mmc and technical eriteria opon whach idcnrificarion o€ origin could bc moce surely based chan is ac pccsenc possible. Eacamplcs aie so wadeły scanrrcd in museums (oficn difficulc of access), country houses and prńrase dwdlings chat both thc time and thc expensc invoIvcd in such 4 trudy would be consadcrable.

The Mory of'Spanish* leachcr is. as might be eapcctcd, basically a Spanish story, and alchough the pcoduct devdoped in Spain was evcncually madę all ovcr Europę and went thcough many changrs. chis highly ornamcncal leachcr retaincd, almosc co che cnd. aomcehing of che cacooc chann of che Hispano-Morcsque archkccture and oricncal way of lile from whach k arose. For che auchor, che culminadng point of all his joumcyings was to sec and cxpcricncc che Emcascic beaucy of che Alhambra in Granada. Herc, tc is mac. in che hearc of che Modem empire, che foulesc ctuelties wece perpetrated, thc Uvea of men and women coumcd far noughc. and che na me of Allah was writtcn in blood. But «ven whac rcmains of che artistry of che men who crcatcd chcsc laccy palaccs and gardem, auli głowa likc a ihimmering. coscacc bazę bchind chis particular aspecc of che unhappy bisiory of Spain.

The auchor capccsacs km grabtude co all chosc who assśtced him in his scarch. bul psaticulady bo che Marc Fkch Fund wichout whose help chis book would noc have been powabie. He would aho like 10 givc special thanks co Peter Thomion and Patrida Hen mann fbr chek edhorial advice and asstscance.

■    |l|).

John W. Waterhr

Blackhcach. London. 1970

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