The Lost Altarpiece of San Bartolomé, Jávea (1741–1936)

Located in the church of San Bartolomé Church in Jávea, the altarpiece, completed in 1741 and destroyed in 1936 during the upheavals of the Spanish Civil War, was a notable example of Spanish High Baroque religious art. 

JÁVEA - Historical Stories of Prominent People & Places (eBook / anthology)

 

DISCOVER THE HIDDEN STORIES OF JÁVEA

Walk through Jávea again, and nothing will look the same.

This anthology uncovers the hidden layers of Jávea, where Roman history, lost monuments, mysterious ships, and encounters involving Joaquín Sorolla reveal a deeper story beneath the surface.

Because Jávea’s true identity lives in what most people never notice.

[ eBook / Anthology- 4,00 €]

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Gothic Glory of Javea (eBook - Architecture Guide)

Unlock the Secrets of Gothic Jávea!

Every stone in Jávea holds a trace of its past.

This architectural history guide uncovers the evolution of Jávea, from its early land and settlement history to the creation of the Church of San Bartolomé and its Gothic heart.

From the architectural wonders of Palau de la Sapena to the enchanting Santa Anna Chapel, historian Karla Ingleton Darocas reveals the soul of Jávea’s Old Town in this immersive eBook.

Beautifully designed | Expertly researched

[ eBook - 5,00 €]

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Extraordinary Reliquaries of Gandia

The next time you walk through the Santa Clara Museum of Gandia, do not pass these figures by. Look closely. They are rare survivors of a pivotal era, quietly telling the story of Gandia’s place at the heart of Renaissance faith and power.

Gold, Trade, and Identity: A 17th-Century Moretto Pendant in the Museum of Gandia

This exquisite pendant, now held in the Museum of Gandia, is a striking example of early modern European goldsmithing, dating to around 1600–1625 and attributed to an anonymous Spanish or Venetian workshop. Carved from dark hardwood—likely ebony—and mounted in cast and enameled gold, the piece is further enriched with pearls, crystal, and colored glass, creating a jewel that is both visually commanding and technically refined.

MASKS OF THE YOUNG PICASSO

I AM STRUCK by the composition and spatial distancing of the characters in Picasso’s 1900 painting, "Pierrot and Colombina", which creates an interplay that seems to mirror his own sense of being an outsider. Pierrot and Colombina, the central figures in this work, are not inventions of Picasso’s imagination but rather theatrical archetypes from the Italian Commedia dell’Arte, which migrated across Europe and became immensely popular in Paris by the late 19th century.

Picasso’s Child with a Dove

IN 1901, PABLO PICASSO was barely twenty years old, brilliant, ambitious, and already restless. He had left Spain to chase success in Paris, where modern art was reinventing itself in the cafés and galleries of Montmartre. But that same year, his closest friend, Carlos Casagemas, took his own life, a loss that left Picasso heartbroken and profoundly changed. Standing between youthful optimism and personal grief, he created Child with a Dove, a painting that captures both innocence and the first shadow of sorrow.

The Silent Suffering of Childhood in Sorolla's Spain

DURING THE PERIOD of the great Valencian painter and humanist Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923), children's health and social problems were an important issue, and his artwork reflects the harsh realities faced by the most vulnerable members of society. Sorolla's compassionate and often stark portrayals of sick or impoverished children, such as in "Sad Inheritance" (1899), served as a powerful form of social commentary, bringing to light the devastating effects of diseases like polio.

El Beso and Ferrándiz Bádenes

El Beso by Bernardo Ferrándiz Bádenes, a painting that captures all the warmth, tradition, and storytelling of the costumbrista style.

DO YOU KNOW ABOUT XÀBIA’S CORDELEROS?

WHEN I AM taking participants on my walking class around the old town of Xàbia (Jávea Historical Walk), I often remember to tell them about the hemp industry that was once a thriving part of village life. 

WHAT WAS CLOTILDE WEARING ON HER STROLL THROUGH THE KING’S GARDENS?

In the summer of 1907, Joaquín Sorolla moved with his entire family to La Granja de San Ildefonso, where he had been commissioned to paint a portrait of King Alfonso XIII. During this stay, Sorolla also captured a portrait of his wife, Clotilde, dressed in the latest Parisian Belle Époque fashions, as she leisurely strolled through the palace gardens. 

Sorolla’s Patriotic Scene

 

“The Cry of Palleter ” 1884, oil on canvas, 

152 x 202 cm. Valencia Provincial Council.

AT THE CENTRO CULTURAL BANCAJA in Valencia, I found myself once again face to face with Joaquín Sorolla’s El grito del Palleter (The Cry of the Palleter), painted in 1884. It was included in the exhibition Scenes and Landscapes in Valencian Painting. 19th and 20th Centuries, a marvelous collection of works that shows the breadth of romantic and realist traditions in Valencian art.