Antiques in Spain

The History of every nation and country in the world is very much related to those documents and objects, such as furniture and antiques, that serve to prove and show the proud heritage of a nation - they are often the unique source of knowledge and the only one connection with the world in the past. That is the reason why one could know or, at least imagine, a full scenery. A scenery with plenty of experiences and life, colour and movement, stories and history all in one, just from a single antique.

Since antiques tell about the history of the country, and Spanish History is so rich and varied, there is no reason to expect something different from the Antiques in Spain. They reflect centuries of art and splendor, stories of diverse cultures merging all in one with the passing of time, which reveal the magic past times in Spain to the traveller and visitors.

And the Spanish know all this. That is why they pay a great deal of attention to collecting objects, learning more and more about the maintenance of antiques, and becoming skillful at the identification from real antiques from new pieces of art. The activities regarding the field of keeping these often delicate pieces are varied, such as short courses, exhibitions, and courses of studies at several Spanish universities, which are one of the most interesting options in the area of arts and culture.

Students at educational establishments and trainees at antique workshops receive a comprehensive preparation both practical and theoretical, and the first topics they learn are how to tell whether an object is a Spanish Antique or not, how to get familiar with the world of art galleries, auction, and the most important "ferias" (fairs) in the country as well. They also learn how to identify and value within the broad field of antiques, every single piece no matter if it is a piece of pottery, furniture, gold-smithery or a book.

Another important aspect related to Antiques in Spain are those that have to do with the process involved in the preservation of those pieces mentioned in the previous paragraph. This fact is important not only for every piece itself, but also for the preservation of the Spanish heritage.

At the University of Alcalá de Henares there is a new Master course whose object of study is Antiques in Spain. The aim of the University is to help graduates from related fields become aware of the importance of this heritage and its preservation. Most people enrolling this Master are already graduates from such courses as History of Arts and Fine Arts. This Master course puts the student in contact with the antiques' market and gives a learning opportunity to improve their cataloging methods as well as giving them elements and skills for them to be able to rate, write specialists' reports, preserve, repair, and value all kinds of pieces of art and antiques.

From the year 2004 Universidad de Alcalá includes within the range of options of its own courses, the preparation to graduate as "Antucuariado" (Antique Dealer), "Tasación y Peritaje de Obras de Arte" (Rating and Writing Specialist's Reports on Pieces of Art) and "Master Experto Tasador en Antigüedades y Obras de Arte" (Expert Master in the Rating of Antiques and Pieces of Art) . This institution was the first educational establishment in getting official academical recognition for these courses of studies in Spain.

Another important establishment that offers courses in the area since 1996 is the "Escuela de Arte y Antigüedades" (School of Arts and Antiques), which has signed a co-operation agreement with the "Federación Nacional de Anticuarios de España" (National Federation of Antique Dealers of Spain) and has this way attained the national recognition for the course.

Both the fact that Antiques in Spain are a great concern for the Spanish and that the Spanish government are aware of the importance of the preservation of the national Spanish heritage is apparent, as shown by these kinds of essential measures.