La primera colección de vistas de la Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba en el Voyage de Laborde (1812)

Abstract

The present study deals with the first collection of views of the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, included in Alexandre de Laborde's huge work, Voyage pittoresque et historique de l'Espagne (volume II, 1812). Despite the fine quality of these original drawings and engravings of Cordoba, the collection has never been examined. Our analysis evaluates its reliability and its documentary contribution to knowledge of this singular edifice in Cordoba and all its architectural transformations. Following an overview of the biographical and historical context of both Laborde and his Voyage, the images are studied in groups according to their points of view: panoramas of the city, the first-known images of the patio, novel interior views, followed by a brief review of plans and details, in part copied from earlier ones.