Historical Images of the Pinelo Palace in Seville

Abstract

One of the wealthiest merchants in Seville at the end of the 15th century, the Genoese Francisco Pinelo, funder of the second voyage to America by Christopher Columbus, commissioned a Renaissance palace which in subsequent years would have different uses and transformations, reflected in images found in public and private archives. This research gathers and analyzes for the first time said graphic legacy, in relation with other documentary sources and the current architectural reality. The revision of data on its origins reveals an outstanding text from 1542 describing the palace when it belonged to the Cathedral of Seville. The first identified plan, a work by José Álvarez in 1790, shows only the plot drawn. Towards 1830, Richard and Harriet Ford illustrated the main courtyard, and in 1869, the architect Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt published two drawings of said patio, which hosted a children school after its disentailment. Between 1885 and 1964, the palace was transformed into the Pensión Don Marcos, as shown in different postcards and photographs. In 1954, the palace was declared a national monument, then expropriated in 1964. The architect Jesús Gómez Millán draw the first distribution plan and directed the consolidation works between 1967 and 1971. Professor Rafael Manzano restored the palace between 1969 and 1981 for its current use as venue of the Reales Academias de Buenas Letras y de Bellas Artes. In the 21st century, other drawings were accomplished using both traditional and digital techniques. This selection of images is essential to understand the transformations and disseminate the architectural legacy of the Pinelo Palace as a true symbol of its identity. © 2025 University of L'Aquila, Department of Civil Construction, Building and Architecture, Environmental Engineering. All rights reserved.