Set in a beautiful landscape, hidden behind stone pines and hundred-year old olive-trees there is the private cultural foundation Jakober. The foundation was created in 1993 by the British artist couple Ben Jakober and Yannick Vu. Their objective is the preservation and restoration of the historic heritage of Spain and the promotion of arts generally.

A large exhibition room was established in an old water reservoir. The pictures hang on rough, white painted concrete walls. The floor covered with black slate reflects the pictures in refined way.

The exhibition offers not only interesting aspects of the art of the portrait painting from the 16th to the 19th century, it also shows the world of the children from the different periods. The collection "NINS" of the museum Foundation Jakober consists of approx. 140 children's portraits which illustrate how the children from high social rank at that time lived in Eastern and Central Europe, France, Spain or Italy. The arrangements of the portraits of the small princes and princesses were placed normally due to the high child mortality in memory or to the premature preparation of weddings in the case of the high aristocracy. Permanently exhibited are between 50-55 paintings, which is why many of the world museums show a big interest in this recognized collection of the foundation Jakober.

Seen from our current time, the paintings show the viewer a completely strange and severely divided world: nothing left here of carefree children's days. The aristocratic children are adorned like adults, wearing jewellery and amulets to reject evil. In the renaissance and in the baroque girls as well as boys were dressed in skirts, one can thereby only identify the gender earrings and the more artistic hairstyles of the girls.

From England comes the Triptych of 1506 which shows Charles V with his brothers and sisters as well as the almost identical pictures of Mary and Catherine Bassett of 1603. The portrait of a 18-month-old boy with grapes in his hand has its origin in 1598 in Germany.
To the children's pictures from Spain belong the painting of young Margarita Teresa and the young Don Carlos and Don Fernando from the 17th century as well as the picture of Carlos II who was crowned as king having not even reached the age of four, is shown 1671 painting as a ten-year-old boy. The boy with the rod and two flowers is an Italian work and the portrait of the prince of Baden Durlach with baggy trousers and the big hat in his hand comes from Germany.

Carlos Manuel I de Saboya, shown here with big white collar, was finished in 1580 and then later, in 1605, Felipe Manuel de Saboya – both by an Italian master. At the end of 18th century the severe elegance of the representations loses itself gradually and gave way to a stronger expressiveness of the illustrated whom of the society of that time a freer contact with the subject Infancy covers, than during the centuries previously.

The extensive grounds and the house have to be visited: a beautiful alternation with a tour in the north of the island, but with advance notification.

Where:
Museum Foundation Jakober
Finca Sa Bassa Blanca
Camino del Coll Baix s/n
07400 Alcudia
Tel.: +34 971 549 880

www.fundacionjakober.org

Length: 4´35 min.