"Woman, lift your brow
That the pains abate!
The cry of your soul
In it no longer drown!
To serene joys,
Which art and science give
To their devotees."
Regla Manjón Mergelina, c. 1872.
The collecting of artistic objects has been an activity that has endured throughout the centuries, thus boasting a long-standing tradition. It was in the nineteenth century when it underwent significant transformation due to both the revival of interest in antiquity and the undertaking of archaeological excavations. An example of this can be seen in the case of Regla Manjón Mergelina, Countess of Lebrija, who exhibited a great interest in the archaeological site of Itálica, becoming notable in history due to the archaeological interventions she carried out there.
Regla Manjón Mergelina was born on October 26, 1851, in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cádiz, and died on February 19, 1938, at her casa-palacio in Seville (currently located on Calle Cuna) (Fernández Martin & Illán Martín, 2019, pp. 19). She spent her childhood in her home in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where the first traits of her distinctive personality began to take shape, such as her love for writing and poetry.
Cultured, passionate about books and especially interested in history; this is how various biographical testimonies describe the countess, where her peculiar inclination towards study and art undoubtedly stood out. Additionally, her passion for archaeology and the arts was manifested in her admiration for Roman art, particularly for "Itálica", where she carried out several archaeological excavations.
The archaeological site of Itálica is a Roman city located in the Lower Guadalquivir (present-day Santiponce), halfway between Seville (Hispalis) and Alcalá del Río (Ilipa). The city was founded by Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus in 207 BC, when the Second Punic War in the Iberian Peninsula was nearing its end with the defeat of the Carthaginians at the Battle of Ilipa.
Subsequently, the discovery of the "mosaics italicenses" marked a significant milestone for over two centuries, proceeding alongside several factors in parallel to the scientific knowledge of ruins through excavations that developed at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
Undoubtedly, the popularity of the casa-palacio of the Countess of Lebrija has come mainly through her collection of mosaics and Roman antiquities acquired over the years. Her own casa-palacio has served and continues to serve as a repository for pieces found during archaeological excavations under her patronage. Consequently, these actions have been the cause of some controversies that began when she started excavations in 1907 until today.
It is important to mention that Countess Regla Manjón's concern for archaeological heritage began with the words dedicated by archaeologist José Ramón Mélida in 1905 to the city of Itálica, thus beginning to take awareness about the need to draft laws regulating the recovery and conservation of the "archaeological heritage." Considering the historical context in which these events took place (1907-1914), it is necessary to mention that the first excavations carried out by Countess Lebrija in 1907 were not exempt from problems, despite the fact that it was not until 1911 when the "Law of Archaeological Excavations" emerged, followed shortly after by its Regulation published the following year (Yáñez Vega, 1997, pp. 423-430).
In this way, it seems appropriate to highlight some of Countess's words as an explanation for her archaeological actions and her collecting zeal:
"...and having already in previous years, at my own expense, carried out repeated explorations in Santiponce and its surroundings, transferring and placing in her house numerous objects and mosaics that would otherwise have been destroyed [....] It was, however, urgent to immediately lift them."
It should be noted that the countess did not collect for an economic motive with a view to obtaining future benefits. As she herself records in her writings, everything she collected was made available to scholars through her casa-palacio. Her reason for collecting was out of curiosity and concern for the past (López Muñoz, 2018, p. 22).
"Let us bequeath to future generations a detailed and graphic history and description of our homes. They will serve as a sure key for scholars one day to reconstruct an era past and vanished by the destructive action of centuries yet to come."
As shown in the previous excerpt, Regla Manjón Mergelina's primary objective was to protect archaeological pieces so as to safeguard them from the plundering activities being committed in Seville and thus preserve them at her casa-palacio, allowing access to collections contained therein for all scholars and researchers who wished to know her possessions. Undoubtedly, she is a woman worthy of recognition not only for her generous acts of philanthropy but also for her work and interest in historical-artistic heritage.
As Regla mentions in her "description" of her casa-palacio, that building was the compendium of her life, as it housed things to which she felt particularly attached, such as her childhood memories and those of her wife (Manjón Mergelina, 1970). Her home is a museum where one can learn about art and collecting, a place that every researcher or visitor would wish to stay and contemplate for a long time. This site was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) on June 27, 1968.
Bibliography
Fernández Martín, M. M., & Illán Martin, M. (2022). Regla Manjón Mergelina, the Countess of Lebrija: Art, Philanthropy and Power in Seville (1851-1938). Sevilla.
Gil de los Reyes, M.S. & Pérez Paz, A. (2006). Itálica: Official Guide to the Archaeological Site. Sevilla.
López Muñoz, J. J. (2018). Doña Regla Manjón Mergelina and the Art of Collecting. In XII Fundación Olga Gallego Conference, pp. 216-230, Madrid.
Manjón Mergelina, R. (1915). The Best Mosaic of Itálica. Boletín de la Real Academia de la Historia, 87(3-4), 235-242.
Manjón Mergelina, R. (1970). Palacio de Lebrija: Description by Doña Regla Manjón Mergelina, Countess of Lebrija in 1920. Sevilla.
Millán León, J. (1986). The Battle of Ilipa. Habis, 17, 283-303.
Rodríguez Gutiérrez, O. & García Fernández, F. J. (2016). Itálica: The Foundation of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus in the Heart of Punic Hispania. In M. Bendala Galán (Ed.), The Scipios: Rome Conquers Hispania, pp. 223-243, Madrid.
Yáñez Vega, A. (1997). Study on the Law of Excavations and Antiquities of 1911 and its Regulation for Application in 1912. In M. Díaz-Andreu & G. Mora (Eds.), The Crystallization of the Past: Genesis and Development of the Institutional Framework of Archaeology in Spain, pp. 423-430, Madrid.
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