The Majesty of Spain is an incredible representation of the wealth of the Spanish
monarchy from 1745 to 1833, from Fernando VI to Fernando VII. So, I was surprised
to know that in one major way, I have more to bank on than they thought they
had.
The Majesty of Spain is an incredible representation of the wealth of the Spanish
monarchy from 1745 to 1833, from Fernando VI to Fernando VII. So, I was surprised
to know that in one major way, I have more to bank on than they thought they
had.
The cost of bringing the display from Madrid, Spain, to Jackson, Mississippi,
must have been monumental. Just getting the prize pieces of art from there to
Jackson certainly was a mind boggling achievement. One does not take a most
prized painting, like Anton Rafael Mengs “Crucifixion of Christ,”
considered Spains most important neoclassical painting, worth millions
of dollars to the pack-and-ship store and say, “Send this to the Mississippi
Arts Pavilion in Jackson, Mississippi, USA.”
Many of the pieces are not paintings. There are chairs, large bronze tables,
marble statuary, a full horse-drawn carriage replete with eight model horses
in full harness and even a large gold-leafed gondola that must have been the
royal party barge of the day.
One can only imagine how the exhibit was determined and transported, but someone
did it.
Perhaps one of the surprising elements of the display was its size. Considering
the challenges hinted at above, one would imagine a room or two of displayed
art would be enough. But the exhibit is room after room after room – fourteen
galleries, actually – filled with more than “600 unequaled artworks.”
Without taking the time to see each item, a visit to the exhibit still takes
about two hours.
Some of the rooms are exact duplications of the rooms of the royaltys
palaces. And, the vast majority of the items displayed are the real thing – not
duplicates.
Every item used by royalty, even those of everyday utilitarian purposes, were
not left as common items, but were made pieces of art fit, well, fit for a king.
Individuals familiar with the social structure of this day could also imagine
that while the royalty lived in such splendor, their lavish lifestyle was carried
upon the backs of peasants who worked from daylight to dark to eke an existence
from the stony soil they harrowed. And then, the peasants paid whatever taxes
necessary to pay for the royaltys luxury before they could care for their
families. But the exhibit does not bother one with such morbid details any more
than the cloistered lifestyles of the monarchy bothered them with such unpleasantries.
The vast majority of people who walk through the display today would have been
in the fields, bruising their bodies to pay for it in the years it was made.
But time grants privileges and today, folks of all socioeconomic levels can
walk through the exhibit for a few dollars and imagine what it would be like
to live like a king, or queen.
One of the most interesting tidbits of information for this editor was learning
that the palace of the royalty then was also a monastery. One can imagine that
a vow of poverty took on different meanings in this setting, but cloistered
monks lived in what was part of the royal palace. Their sole responsibility
was to pray for the salvation of the monarch and his family.
Certainly this would be in line for people who can have absolutely everything.
If a king believed his salvation depended upon good works by, and in behalf
of, himself, then establishing a monastery of monks to pray night and day for
his salvation, and his family, makes perfect sense. The kings, according to
the teachings of their church, believed they could pay their way right into
heaven. They believed, according to their church they had a better chance of
getting into heaven than those who could not afford to hire someone to pray
for them. But life in those days was never meant to be fair and people were
never meant to be equal.
Well, I could afford the tickets to the exhibit, but that is about it. Even
the souvenirs in the museum gift shop were too steep for me.
But I have a better chance of getting into heaven than the kings had if all
they counted on were the prayers of the royal monks. Jesus Christ paid the price
of salvation for me, although I am among the peasants and can offer nothing
significant in return. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit Himself offers prayers
for me. The kings had the same resources, but they apparently decided to trust
in something far less valuable. They may have had it all, but they did not have
all they could have had – salvation by grace, through Jesus Christ.
The exhibit is incredible, and it is quite a lesson.