Bullfighting

Emmanuel Witz, Swiss painter and man of the world, was an eyewitness to bullfighting in Madrid between 1754 and 1760. His collection of 26 drawings and detailed chronicle, which predates Goya’s, offers a unique and authentic perspective on the beginnings of bullfighting.

Witz begins his series with a depiction of a bullring which could be none other than the bullring commissioned by King Ferdinand VI on the outskirts of Madrid and inaugurated on 3 July 1749, with the prior authorisation (signed in Aranjuez) of the Marquis of La Ensenada. It is curious to know that this Madrid bullring was inaugurated five years after it was opened: in 1754. The amphitheatre was built “beyond the Parador de San José, towards the Ventas del Espíritu Santo, on the road to Guadalajara, on the outskirts of Madrid, opposite the walls of the Buen Retiro, at the exit of the Puerta de Alcalá”, and although no record has yet been found of the disbursements made by the king, it is well known that Fernando VI gave it to the Royal Board of Hospitals to administer it and, with its profits, to subsist without any other type of aid.

This stage became the epicentre of the transformations that the bullfighting festival underwent in the 18th century.

His drawings, discovered a few years ago, show its primitivism and originality. Picturesque and surprising details capture unique moments of bullfighting, revealing the evolution of this art.

Witz, interested in capturing the authenticity of the fiesta, creates an exceptional chronicle that serves as a unique window into the bullfighting past. His written impressions and drawings become an invaluable testimony to the transformation of bullfighting in the second half of the 18th century.

This masterful book includes:

• Historical description of the famous Lidia de Toros.
• 26 litho-engravings of the bullfighting pictures of Emmanuel Witz (1717-1797)
• Rules for bullfighting and the art of all the suertes (Rules for bullfighting and the art of all the suertes) (1726)
• Historical Letter on the Origin and Progress of the Bullfighting Festivities in Spain (1776) (Goya used this letter to produce some of his drawings of “Bullfighting”).
  
  

This edition of Bullfighting comes complete with a luxurious slipcase for its preservation. It consists of a single numbered edition of 250 copies, duly authenticated by notary duly authenticated with a notary’s certificate.

Join us on this journey into the past and rediscover the passion, bravery and excitement that defined the early days of bullfighting. Purchase your copy of this unique work and become part of bullfighting history as it has never been told before – don’t miss the opportunity to own a unique cultural treasure!